8009 ‎(2)‎

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8009
• Author: Natural Resources Law Center.
• Title: Restoring the Waters.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: Boulder, CO.
• Copyright Material: YES

S
Benefits of collaborating
^ Reduced each utility's program
costs
^ Increased program credibility
^ Allowed customer participation
regardless of energy source for
their water heater
Free kit contents
^ One water- and energy-efficient
showerhead (2.5 gallons per
minute [gpm])
^ One bathroom faucet aerator
(1.5 gpm)
^ One toilet fill cycle tliverter
^ Toilet leak detection dye tablets
^ Plumber's teflon tape
^ An instruction booklet, including
instructions on installing a glass
jar as a toilet tank displacement
device
Seattle Water Department Home Water Saver Program, Washington
Home Water Savers was adoor-to-door
conservation kit distribution program
offered initially in June through October
1992 by a regional utility partnership that
included the Seattle Water Department,
Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Power
and Light. The Bonneville Power Adminis-
tration (BPA), Washington Natural Gas
and the Municipality of Metropolitan
Seattle (METRO) (the regional wastewater
agency) also contributed financial support.
While conducting studies to update the
conservation element of the Seattle Water
Department's water supply plan, the
Department identified efficient
showerheads as one of the most cost-
effective measures to reduce demand. In
late 1989, the Seattle Water Department
conducted a pilot
study of 2,000
single-family homes
to test distribution
methods and
installation rates for
various devices.
Based on the results
of this pilot, the
water department decided to pursue an
efficient showerhead program using a
door-to-door drop-off distribution method.
Economic analysis showed that the
program would be cost-effective even if the
Seattle Water Department had to cover the
entire program cost. Nevertheless, the
department sought involvement from other
regional utilities because of the energy and
wastewater savings the program could
achieve along with water savings.
The Water Saver Program
The overall goal of the program was to
reduce consumption of water and energy
resources in the participating utilities'
service territories. High installation rate of
kit devices was a corresponding program
goal, which influenced product selection,
choice of delivery mechanism, marketing
approaches and other program features.
44
Each element of program planning (prod-
uct selection, marketing, distribution and
evaluation) involved a committee process
that included representatives from each
agency. Additionally, a steering committee
and a planning committee were established
to ensure coordination and to make overall
policy and management decisions. The
1992 summer "household blitz" was
mounted by the electric utilities, which
contracted with a service agency and a
private contractor to perform the distribu-
tion.
To ensure customer satisfaction and
measure persistence, the utilities conducted
an extensive customer preference study to
determine which showerhead should be
included in the kits. The study included
on-site product comparison testing as well
as a survey component. Customers in the
survey were offered six showerhead
models to choose from. The model selected
for the program was preferred by 67% of
the customers surveyed.
The initial phase of the program, from
June through October 1992, involved
door-to-door distribution of kits to all one-
to four-unit dwellings (330,000 house-