July 14, 2026

The newly released 2026 Residential End Uses of Water, Version 3 study from the Water Research Foundation offers clear evidence that federal water efficiency standards lower costs, reduce water use, and improve long-term water system sustainability. The study updates one of the most important long-running datasets in the water sector and confirms a noticeable trend: indoor residential water use has dropped significantly over the last quarter century. Indoor water use in single-family homes has fallen by 44% since 1999, with the biggest reductions coming from improved efficiency in toilets, clothes washers, and faucets. These are all products that have been shaped over time by federal efficiency standards, water utility programs, and related conservation efforts. The results of the research demonstrate that these standards are delivering what they were intended to do and that proposals to weaken federal water efficiency standards are misguided.

The reductions were driven primarily by the replacement of older, less-efficient fixtures and appliances with new ones that meet federal standards. It is estimated by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that federal energy and water conservation standards adopted through 2024 saved 1.7 trillion gallons of water in 2024 and reduced Americans’ utility bills by $105 billion that same year. These savings are particularly important now as communities across the country are contending with drought, aging infrastructure, rising water service costs, and the need for new water supplies.  

Water-efficient products that are independently certified to perform well typically cost about the same as less-efficient products, making them a simple, low-cost way to save water and save money. Weakening federal water efficiency standards would not simply slow future progress—it could risk reversing decades of water, energy, and cost savings that households, utilities, and communities depend on. Strong federal standards ensure that products sold in the marketplace meet a minimum level of efficiency and help deliver water savings equitably across regions, income levels, and housing types.

The lesson from this new data clearly shows that federal water efficiency standards work. They have helped cut residential indoor water use almost in half over the last generation, while saving households money, reducing energy use, and easing pressure on local water and wastewater systems. As water challenges intensify across the country, federal water efficiency standards should be protected, updated, and expanded where appropriate—not weakened. The latest study shows that these policies are one of the nation’s most effective long-term water management tools.