The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Hunter Industries with a 2018 WaterSense Excellence Award for its creative approaches to supporting WaterSense and promoting water efficiency in 2017. Hunter Industries received one of 21 WaterSense awards at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, October 4.

Since 2006, Hunter Industries and more than 1,900 other WaterSense partners have helped consumers save more than 2.7 trillion gallons of water, or more than the amount used by all U.S. households for nearly 100 days. In addition to water savings, WaterSense-labeled products and homes have helped reduce the amount of energy needed to heat, pump, and treat water by 367 billion kilowatt-hours — which is enough to power more than 34.1 million homes for a year — and save $63.8 billion in water and energy bills.

“Through innovation and commitment, our partners are helping to transform the marketplace for water-efficient, high-performing products and homes,” said Veronica Blette, WaterSense program manager. “The WaterSense Sustained Excellence, Partner of the Year, and Excellence Award winners are leading the charge to save water, energy, and money for future generations.”

Hunter Industries was honored as a 2018 WaterSense Excellence Award winner for its comprehensive water conservation efforts during new product development. This year, Hunter Industries became the first manufacturer to earn the WaterSense label for irrigation spray sprinkler bodies. These devices regulate pressure to minimize outdoor water waste in irrigation systems. Noticing that many contractors were reluctant to install Wi-Fi-enabled weather-based irrigation controllers, Hunter also conducted extensive research to learn how to help contractors become more comfortable with the technology.

Based on the results, Hunter developed a new weather-based controller that better manages the needs of contractors with flow meter connection capabilities, failure reporting, and daily watering schedule modifications based on local conditions. Several of the 19 WaterSense-labeled models Hunter launched in 2017 were engineered with these water-saving features to encourage best practices for irrigation management within the complex systems that contractors encounter.

“Our mission is to design and manufacture innovative tools that help irrigation contractors maximize time, labor, and water savings,” said Kelsey Jacquard, Product Manager at Hunter Industries. “We’re thrilled to accept this award, and we look forward to remaining on the forefront of irrigation technology and water conservation efforts during future product development.”

For more information about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.