Here at Harvard, we try to insure that you leave with a good head on your shoulders; what you didn't know is that we’re also making sure you have a good head on your showers while you're here!
During the summer of 2008, Harvard Real Estate Services (HRES) replaced over 2,700 standard showerheads, and over 5,300 aerators in kitchen and bathroom sinks, with water efficient models. The new showerheads and aerators mix air into the water stream, creating steady pressure for a more even spray and less wasted water.
All residential showerheads are now 1.6 gallons per minute (gpm), compared to the original 2.5 gpm models. All sink aerators used to be the standard 2.2 gpm, but now the kitchen only uses 1.5 gpm and bathrooms a modest 0.5 gpm.
After a year of monitoring water bills, the results are in: this project saved over 8.5 million gallons of water, and $118,000, in the first year! At this rate, the retrofit will pay for itself in 1.6 years.
This project saved over 8.5 million gallons of water, and $118,000, in the first year! 