The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized the 2015 WaterSense award winners for creating, rebating, communicating and educating consumers about WaterSense-labeled products, homes, and programs. These 17 winners and more than 1,700 other WaterSense partners have helped Americans save 1.1 trillion gal of water and $21.7 billion in water and energy bills since 2006.

“EPA is proud to honor these WaterSense partners for making a difference every day in communities across the country,” said Ellen Gilinsky, office of water senior policy advisor. “With pervasive droughts on the West Coast and Puerto Rico and water shortages expected in many other parts of the country, these leaders show how water efficiency can make the country more resilient to the effects of our changing climate.”

2015 Sustained Excellence Award Winners:

Kohler Co. received the WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for the third consecutive year for its efficiency efforts in drought-affected areas. These efforts included partnering with The Home Depot in California to offer special promotions on WaterSense-labeled products, as well as supporting the Johnson Foundation’s Charting New Waters Initiative to protect water resources across the country. Kohler also promoted WaterSense-labeled products at nearly 200 events in 2014 with its “Trust the Flush” bus tour.

Delta Faucet Co. earned its first WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for promoting water efficiency and WaterSense-labeled products. Delta collaborated with global hotel chains on studies targeting water efficiency improvements in hotels; worked with major retail chains to develop strategic plans for marketing WaterSense-labeled products; and created internationally recognized WaterSense-labeled faucets and a smart toilet.

The Home Depot, a three-time Retailer Partner of the Year, received its first Sustained Excellence Award for the significant WaterSense awareness it generated through in-store promotions, information on its own website, and online advertising campaigns, resulting in 518 billion media impressions. For Fix a Leak Week 2014, The Home Depot led a national water efficiency campaign and gave away household kits with WaterSense-labeled products.

KB Home was recognized with a WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for its continued work in building WaterSense-labeled homes, for which it previously earned Builder Partner of the Year for four years. In addition to building nearly 100 WaterSense-labeled homes in 2014, KB Home also constructed model homes in California featuring innovative water-efficient products, along with graywater recycling systems that provide water for toilet-flushing or landscape irrigation.

EPA’s WaterSense program protects the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes and services. In helping preserve water resources, the work of the WaterSense program supports the goals of EPA’s Clean Water Rule. Because saving water also saves energy, the program also supports EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which will help communities save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. Kohler can be found online at www.kohler.com.