Pre-Rinse Spray Valves

THE PRODUCT:

Pre-rinse spray valves (PRSV) are handheld devices used in restaurants to remove food waste before dishes go into the dishwater.

THE STANDARD:

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included a standard for these products, building on a standard previously adopted by Arizona, California, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. The federal standard took effect January 2006 and sets a maximum flow rate of 1.6 gallons of water per minute (gpm). Since this is hot water, substantial energy and water is saved. EPA WaterSense (similar to EnergyStar but for water-using products) specifications set the maximum flow rate at 1.28 gpm.

In December 2015, DOE issued new standards for PRSV that define three product classes (depending on the spray force) and set maximum flow rates between 1.0 and 1.28 gpm. The reduction in hot water consumption is expected to save the average restaurant $547 over the 5-year life of the product.

DOE estimates that over 30 years the PRSV standards will reduce national water consumption by 120 billion gallons of water and energy consumption by 0.10 quadrillion Btu. Savings over 30 years are estimated at $0.72-1.5 billion.

The standards took effect in early 2019.

KEY FACTS:

According to DOE, there are an estimated 1.16 million pre-rinse spray valves in the US, with projected shipments of about 230,000 in 2019 when the standard takes effect. The average PRSV lasts about five years.

Savings through what year?: 2048
Energy saved (quads): 0.10
CO2 savings (million metric tons): 5.87
Net present value savings ($billion) 3% discount rate: $1.48
Net present value savings ($billion) 7% discount rate: $.72

Timeline

Federal Date States
Potential Effective Date of Updated Standard 2027
Updated DOE Standard Due 2024
2nd Federal Standard Effective 2019
2nd Federal Standard Adopted (DOE) 2016
Test Procedure - Last Revised - Active Mode 2013
2008 AZ Standard Effective *
2007 WA Standard Effective *
2007 RI Standard Effective *
2007 OR Standard Effective *
2006 CA Standard Effective *
1st Federal Standard Effective 2006
1st Federal Standard Adopted (Congress) 2005
EPACT Initial Federal Legislation Enacted 2005
2005 WA Standard Adopted
2005 AZ Standard Adopted
2005 RI Standard Adopted
2005 OR Standard Adopted
2005 NY Standard Adopted
2004 CA Standard Adopted

* State standard never went into effect due to preemption by federal standard.

States not showing an effective date have an ongoing rulemaking process to determine standards.

Timeline reflects state standards from 2001 to present; federal standards from inception to present.