For the Media

8/27/2010

All American Standard FloWise® Showerheads Now WaterSense-Certified

Replacing older showerheads with invigorating American Standard WaterSense-certified FloWise showerheads reduces water usage up to 40 percent

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (August 27, 2010) — American Standard announced today that all of its FloWise® showerheads and hand showers meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense® program requirements for high performance and water efficiency.

Even more important: they meet user demand for performance, with style, saving up to 20 percent in water usage over current standards, while still delivering an invigorating shower. Showerhead models range from traditional to transitional to contemporary, with styles to meet every home décor.
      
The EPA’s WaterSense program requires showerheads to have a maximum flow rate of 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm) or less – 20 percent lower than the current federal standard of 2.5 gpm – while also meeting such performance standards as flow rate across a range of pressures, spray force and spray coverage.
                     
The American Standard line of FloWise showerheads exceeds these requirements, with the highest rate of water savings at 1.5 gpm. Replacing an older showerhead with a FloWise showerhead can save a family of four approximately 11,000 gallons of water annually.
      
Top-rated by the nation’s leading consumer review magazine and numerous
online product evaluation websites, the key to the FloWise shower experience is a
patented turbine technology that spins the water stream through the showerhead to
create a powerful, energizing spray. The result feels much the same as conventional 2.5 gpm showerheads, yet with up to 40 percent water savings.  
      
“Showering is one of the leading ways we use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use, or about 30 gallons per household per day,” explains Michelle Troconis, product manager for shower systems at American Standard. “Offering the WaterSense label on all American Standard FloWise showerheads gives people the confidence that they really can conserve water while still enjoying a relaxing and invigorating shower.”
      
Certification of the American Standard FloWise shower products was independently verified by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), in accordance with the EPA’s WaterSense program requirements.
      
In addition to FloWise showerheads, all American Standard bathroom faucets save 32 percent more water over their conventional counterparts and have been WaterSense certified since 2008. American Standard offers a full range of water-saving plumbing products for homes and buildings, searchable at www.responsiblebathroom.com.  Site tools include a calculator to estimate the potential savings in water and utility bills using local municipal water rate data, as well as a rebate locator to find local incentives for purchasing water efficient products.
      
For more information on FloWise showerheads and hand showers or other WaterSense-certified products from American Standard, visit www.americanstandard.com or call (800) 899-2614.
 
ABOUT AMERICAN STANDARD BRANDS
American Standard Brands is a leading North American manufacturer of a wide range of high-quality kitchen and bath products, including faucets, fixtures, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, cast iron sinks, whirlpool tubs and other related products. The company currently serves both the residential and commercial markets; employs more than 5,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico;and markets products under the American Standard®, JADO®, Porcher®, Safety Tubs®, Crane®, Eljer® and Fiat® brands. American Standard Brands is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners. For more information, visit www.americanstandard.com.