Trump Repeals Biden’s Showerhead Rules, Allows Stronger Water Flow/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump has signed an executive order repealing Biden-era water conservation limits on showerheads and appliances. The move revives Trump’s earlier push to allow higher water flow for personal comfort. Energy advocates warn it undermines efficiency and increases energy and water waste.
Trump Reverses Showerhead Limits: Quick Looks
- Trump signs an executive order repealing federal water efficiency rules.
- The order ends limits on gallons per minute for showerheads, dishwashers, toilets.
- Trump cited difficulty washing his hair under low-flow showerheads as motivation.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright is tasked with removing previous regulations.
- Biden and Obama administrations enacted the standards to cut energy use.
- White House called older rules “a bureaucratic nightmare” in a fact sheet.
- Critics argue the repeal will lead to higher utility costs and waste.
- Environmental groups say modern showerheads already offer strong performance.
- Showers use about 20% of indoor household water, per the EPA.
- No major manufacturer changed products during Trump’s first term deregulation effort.
Trump Repeals Biden’s Showerhead Rules, Allows Stronger Water Flow
Deep Look
President Donald Trump has again rolled back federal water efficiency standards, reviving a familiar culture war issue from his first term. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order that immediately ends water conservation limits for showerheads, dishwashers, washing machines, and toilets, arguing that current restrictions reduce functionality and inconvenience consumers.
“I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump said during the signing ceremony at the White House, reiterating a long-held grievance. “I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
The new order directs Energy Secretary Chris Wright to repeal federal definitions and standards enacted under former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, which limited the flow rate of water in household appliances to promote energy efficiency and water conservation.
The Trump administration characterized the existing rules as government overreach. “No longer will showerheads be weak and worthless,” read a White House fact sheet accompanying the order. It described the Obama- and Biden-era regulations as turning “a basic household item into a bureaucratic nightmare.”
This move marks a direct reversal of Biden’s restoration of water-saving measures, which had reimposed limits on gallons per minute (GPM) for consumer appliances, aligning with the original 1992 federal energy efficiency law passed under President George H.W. Bush. The standards were meant to curb utility bills, reduce household water use, and cut energy demand by limiting how much water appliances could use.
But now, with Trump’s latest directive, manufacturers may no longer need to comply with these limits. The administration argues that the change supports consumer freedom and removes unnecessary red tape. However, energy experts and environmental advocates strongly disagree.
Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), criticized the move, calling it a “gimmick” designed to sidestep existing federal law. He pointed out that most showerheads on the market already deliver strong water pressure, saying, “There isn’t a problem to be solved here with the showerheads available today.”
DeLaski also emphasized that modern efficiency standards have proven benefits, including reduced utility bills and environmental impact. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), showering accounts for approximately 20% of a typical U.S. household’s daily indoor water use. Moreover, because heating water contributes to about 20% of a home’s total energy consumption, more efficient water use directly reduces energy bills.
Despite Trump’s claims that lower flow rates force people to “wash their hands five times longer,” leading to no savings, ASAP and other groups argue that water-efficient devices have become high-performing and widely accepted.
Interestingly, Trump attempted a similar repeal during his first term, but the effort failed to prompt any significant industry changes. Most major manufacturers continued producing showerheads that complied with the original efficiency standards, indicating that the consumer market had already adjusted to the existing rules.
Environmentalists fear that relaxing standards now could result in increased water and energy consumption—just as the country is grappling with resource scarcity and climate change. They also warn that overturning these measures may undermine long-term efforts to modernize infrastructure and support sustainability in the residential sector.
Trump’s latest action comes as part of a broader strategy to dismantle Biden-era climate and environmental regulations, which he claims are harmful to American consumers and businesses. However, experts caution that such reversals could jeopardize decades of progress on energy efficiency and raise utility costs for households across the country.
As the executive order goes into effect, federal agencies will begin the process of rescinding technical definitions and enforcement protocols, leaving it up to manufacturers whether to maintain current standards or shift back to higher water-flow designs.
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