WaterSense labeled Kitchen pre–rinse spray valves, which are designed to remove food waste from dishes before dishwashing, can save you more than $115/year in water and energy (natural gas or electricity) costs. Often used in commercial or institutional kitchens, these valves can account for up to one-third of water usage in the average kitchen. By switching to a WaterSense valve, costs for accommodating this water usage can drop significantly.
While the federal standard for commercial pre-rinse spray valves is 1.6 gallons per minute (gpm), EPA’s specification sets the maximum flow rate for WaterSense products at 1.28 gpm. Because of this, manufacturers have now developed models that use 20% less water than the federal standard–a significant decrease, such as the 1.28 gpm Prerinse Kitchen Spray N2180. EPA’s specification also includes spray force criteria and lifecycle testing to ensure performance in commercial kitchens. To make customers select products that best suit their applications, all WaterSense labeled spray valves are required to include spray force on product packaging and are independent certified to ensure efficient use along with water conservation.
Just by replacing one pre-rinse spray valves with a WaterSense labeled model, an average commercial kitchen can save more than 7,000 gallons of water per year. When you factor in the hot water used to rinse dishes, switching to a water-saving pre-rinse spray valve can save a commercial kitchen’s natural gas use by more than 6,400 cubic feet per year as well. Across the country, we could save over $225 million annually in water and energy costs if all commercial food service establishments used WaterSense labeled pre-rinse spray valves. Start saving today.