WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration wants to change the definition of a shower head to allow more water to flow, responding to a presidential cap complaining that he is not getting wet enough.
Speaking publicly about the need to “keep” his hair “perfect,” President Donald Trump has created a growing stream of water and made restraining standards for maintaining appliances – from light bulbs to toilets to washers – a personal problem.
But consumer and conservation groups have said the proposed loosening of the Energy Department of a 28-year-old energy law that includes equipment standards is stupid, unnecessary and disgusting, especially as the West bakes through a historic two-decade-old long megadroch.
Since 1992, federal law has dictated that new showers should not pour more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (9.5 liters). When newer shower fittings came with multiple nozzles, the Obama administration defined the restrictions for shower heads to accommodate what comes in total. So if there are four sprinklers, there should be no more than 2.5 gallons in total coming out between all four.
The new proposal Wednesday would allow each nozzle to spray as much as 2.5 gallons, not just the general shower head.
With four or five or more nozzles, “you could get 10, 15 gallons per minute out of the shower, literally likely to wash out of the bathroom,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the energy-saving group Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
At the White House South House in July, Trump raised the issue personally:
‘So shower heads – you take a shower, the water does not come out. You want to wash your hands, the water does not come out. So what do you do? Do you just stand there longer or do you take a shower longer? Because my hair – I do not know about you, but it must be perfect. Perfect. “
DeLaski and officials at Consumer Reports said there was no public outcry when needed. The Department of Energy’s own database of 12,499 showerheads showed that 74% of them use two gallons or less of water per minute, which is 20% less than the federal standard.
“Honestly, it’s stupid,” deLaski said. “The country is in serious trouble. We have a pandemic, serious long-term drought in much of the West. We have global climate change. Shower heads are not one of our problems. ”
Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said Obama’s 2013 definition of showerhead in 2013 conflicts with what Congress meant and the standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
If the rule is adopted, Hynes said it would be “to allow Americans – not Washington bureaucrats – to choose what kind of shower heads they have in their homes.”
Officials at the sector group Plumbing Manufacturers International did not respond to a request for comment.
Appliances and sanitary energy and water saving standards save consumers about $ 500 a year on energy bills, deLaski said.
If people have trouble flowing water into their shower, they should check the water pressure of their home and be able to replace a faulty shower head for not much money, deLaski said.
A 2016 test of shower heads by Consumer Reports found that the best rated showers – including a $ 20 model – provided a comfortable amount of water flow and met federal standards, according to David Friedman, vice president for Consumer Reports and former acting assistant secretary of energy. .
DeLaski said he had a hard time understanding the concerns about the president’s shower.
“If the president needs help finding a good shower, we can point him to some great consumer websites that will help you identify a good shower that delivers a thick shower and a good shower,” said deLaski. .
