North Olmsted, Ohio… Portions of the U.S. are suffering from a mega-drought, the Colorado River and Lake Mead are experiencing increasingly low water levels and many communities across the country are under water-use restrictions.
Yet, despite the daily headlines, fewer than a third of Americans in a recent Moen survey* say access to fresh water is the biggest issue facing water today. Even more surprising, less than half of people living in the hard-hit Western states said the same.
When it comes to saving water, Americans have good intentions, but can falter when it comes to execution. They seem to care though: ninety-four percent (94%) of respondents in the Moen survey say saving water is very or somewhat important to them, but only forty-four percent (44%) have, for example, installed a water-saving faucet or showerhead.
What’s preventing them?
For one, results show that people aren’t truly aware of the scope of the scarcity of fresh water. The vast majority of respondents (84%) didn’t know or couldn’t guess how much of Earth’s water was comprised of fresh water, or how much of that water is accessible and usable. Admittedly, the answer is eye-opening – only 0.5% of Earth’s water is accessible fresh, usable water.**
But perhaps more practically, respondents believe it may be too costly to replace a fixture, or that they’ll have to hire a professional to install it. Worse, they fear a lower flow fixture will be less than ideal and ruin the water experiences they know and love.
“The findings indicate most people want to save water – which is great news – but they need it to be easy, and it can’t disrupt their already busy lives and routines,” notes Adam Barger, director of global brand marketing at Moen, the number one consumer faucet brand in North America. “We get it. For most Americans, water is plentiful and available, making it hard to prioritize saving it. Moen is focused on developing products that save water automatically, without people having to think about it, and without sacrificing a great experience.”
“Smart technology can have a huge impact on water resource education and easily automate conservation efforts at home,” adds Barger. “While our research did show consumers don’t want to break the bank with water-saving fixtures, it’s important they realize that smart products that automatically save water can pay for themselves in no time.”
Per the EPA, the average home leaks about 10,000 gallons of water a year.*** Enter the Moen Smart Water Network. Featuring multiple smart products, this app-based, whole-home water management system allows homeowners to compare their water use to historical usage patterns and set and monitor conservation goals – all from their smartphone via the Moen Smart Water App. Once homeowners see how much water they consume, they may see reducing water as a challenge, but be inspired to achieve higher savings goals.
The network is anchored by the Moen® Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff, which enables homeowners to control their home’s water from anywhere, all from the Moen Smart Water App. It constantly monitors the pressure and flow rate of the water flowing through the home’s pipes, which allows the intelligent system to track water usage 24/7. This device can help reduce more than 90 percent of annual household water waste when potential leak issues are promptly addressed.**** Also, within 30 days of installing the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff, 60 percent of homeowners discovered a leak they didn’t know they had.*****
“We know consumers have enough to think about daily. Luckily, through thoughtful innovation, they can now make and automate small changes that allow conservation to be seamless and even help make all their water experiences in the home more enjoyable,” says Barger.
For more information about these findings and Moen Smart Water Network products, visit moen.com/smart-home.
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*The Moen 2022 Water Perception Survey was conducted from May 6-20, 2022, among 2,417 U.S. Residents aged 25 and up. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 2% at a 95% confidence interval.
**https://www.usbr.gov/mp/arwec/water-facts-ww-water-sup.html#:~:text=0.5%25%20of%20the%20earth's%20water,for%20each%20person%20on%20earth.
****Based on Average American Annual Water Leaks of 10,000 Gallons.
*****Based on data provided to Flo Technologies by Smart Water Shutoff owners.
ABOUT MOEN
Moen is the #1 consumer faucet brand in North America, offering a vast array of stylish and innovative kitchen and bath faucets, showerheads, accessories, bath safety products, kitchen sinks, garbage disposals, leak detection products and connected home offerings for residential applications that give consumers more power than ever before to understand and control the water that flows through their homes. These thoughtful designs deliver an exceptional user experience and elevate the way people interact with water every day. In addition, Moen® Commercial offers superior-performing products that can deliver lower lifetime costs for today's facilities.
Moen is part of Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. (NYSE: FBIN), a brand, innovation and channel leader focused on exciting, supercharged categories in the home products, security and commercial building markets. Moen anchors Water Innovations (WINN), which also includes several brands under the House of Rohl® including Perrin & Rowe®, ROHL®, Riobel®, Shaws® and Victoria + Albert®. Fortune Brands’ other brands include Fiberon® composite decking and railing products, Master Lock® and Sentry® Safe security products, LARSON® storm doors and windows and Therma-Tru® entry door systems. For more information, please visit www.FBIN.com.
CONTACT
Samantha Eastman or Emily Baker
Falls & Co.
(216) 696-0229
seastman@fallsandco.com
ebaker@fallsandco.com