Editorial: Conservation success

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 | 8:59 a.m.

Consumers have an appetite for products that not only will save them money but that also will help the environment at the same time. This desire actually has been around quite some time and it helped lead to the creation of the "Energy Star" program in 1992. A partnership between industry and the federal government, this voluntary labeling program started out identifying energy-efficient appliances and other products that also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it eventually was extended to include homes themselves. Those products and homes meeting the program's requirements earn an "Energy Star" label.

Local water officials and the homebuilding industry are hoping to replicate the success of the "Energy Star" program in an area that's critical to Las Vegas' future: water conservation. The Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association have created what they're calling the "Water Smart" program, whose label will be affixed to new homes that substantially increase water efficiency. The goal is to cut water use by 30 percent or more, a reduction that in a typical home would amount to 75,000 gallons a year. Features of "Water Smart" include better irrigation systems, restrictions on the size of turf or a pool in the backyard, a requirement that the water pressure inside homes be lower than is now required by code and a mandate that the builder provide only high-efficiency dishwashers and washing machines.

In the past two years, during the Southern Nevada Water Authority's outdoor water restriction program, residents and businesses have done an outstanding job of dramatically reducing the amount of turf they have and curtailing how much they water their grass and plants. The "Water Smart" program, the latest conservation initiative, is the kind of step that not only will allow us to conserve even more of this precious resource, but it also will help consumers, too, by cutting down on their water bills.