California to have nation’s stingiest shower heads

Shower heads and bathroom faucets sold at stores will soon pack a little less punch under restrictions passed by California regulators Wednesday.

The latest regulation approved by the California Energy Commission requires shower heads to spray no more than 2 gallons per minute, starting in July, and no more than 1.8 gallons per minute two years later.

The new standards for shower heads are expected to save more than 2.4 billion gallons of water in their first year and 38 billion gallons over 10 years, as the inventory turns over.

Asked whether the reduced flow would compromise the shower experience or result in dirtier Californians, McAllister said probably not.

“I’m not an expert on consumer preference, but I have one of these (efficient shower heads) and it works great,” he said.