THE PRODUCT:

A showerhead is a plumbing fixture that directs water onto a bather.

THE STANDARD:

The current national standards for showerheads took effect in 1994 and set a maximum flow rate of 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute). In December 2010, DOE officially waived federal preemption of the national showerhead standards. This waiver of federal preemption allows states to set standards provided they are more stringent than the national standard.

In 2014, Colorado adopted standards for showerheads that set a maximum flow rate of 2.0 gpm. In 2015, the California Energy Commission (CEC) established a two-tiered standard with the first tier setting a maximum flow rate of 2.0 gpm and the second tier strengthening the standard to 1.8 gpm. As of 2024, 14 states in total had adopted showerhead standards that are more stringent than the national standard.

On April 9 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14264 directing DOE to rescind the definition of “showerhead” without notice and comment. On April 15 2025, DOE published a final rule in the Federal Register, rescinding the definition and reverting to the statutory definition. 

KEY FACTS:

According to the EPA, showering accounts for about 17% of indoor residential water use. Showerheads that use no more than 2.0 gpm can earn the WaterSense label. WaterSense is an EPA partnership program (similar to ENERGY STAR) which identifies products that save water and energy, save money, and meet a minimum threshold of performance. 

Timeline

Federal Date States
  2024 MD Standard Effective
  2023 ME Standard Effective
  2023 RI Standard Effective
  2022 MD Standard Adopted
  2022 DC Standard Effective
  2022 NY Standard Effective
  2022 MA Standard Effective
  2022 OR Standard Effective
  2022 NJ Standard Effective
  2021 ME Standard Adopted
  2021 RI Standard Adopted
  2021 OR Standard Adopted
  2021 MA Standard Adopted
  2021 NJ Standard Adopted
  2021 WA Standard Effective
  2021 HI Standard Effective
  2020 DC Standard Adopted
  2020 VT Standard Effective
  2020 NV Standard Effective
  2019 NY Standard Adopted
  2019 NV Standard Adopted
  2019 WA Standard Adopted
  2019 HI Standard Adopted
  2018 VT Standard Adopted
  2016 CO Standard Effective
  2016 CA Standard Effective
  2015 CA Standard Adopted
  2014 CO Standard Adopted
1st Federal Standard Effective 1994  
1st Federal Standard Adopted 1992  
EPACT Initial Federal Legislation Enacted 1992