New Study Reveals Benefits of Water Treatment Systems In The Home

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- With Earth Day just around the corner, consumers are looking for more ways to go green while keeping money from going down the drain. Many consumers are becoming more educated on how they can help the environment and their home, however many are unaware that something as simple as the water in their homes could be affecting their energy consumption.

One great cost-effective solution is to install a water softener, such as the systems available from Kenmore.  Water softeners can help the environment, as well as cut energy costs over time.(1) Kenmore water softeners provide consumers with an environmentally responsible solution that helps minimize the effects of hard water, helping them save money and time. Water softeners remove the minerals in hard water that can cause "build up" on plumbing and appliances. In fact, a recent study by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF)(2) revealed that removing hard water in your home can be an excellent way to save energy at home.

According to the study, hard water:

• Not only reduces the efficiency of water heaters, but depending upon the conditions and level of hard water, shower heads could become virtually inoperable in less than two years(3)
• And, it's also hard on other water-using fixtures and appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines, and faucets(4)

"Consumers continue to look for ways to save, and most don't even realize that something as simple as improving their water at home can give them significant energy savings over time," said Steve Seiler, Senior Vice President, EcoWater Systems. "The Kenmore line of water softeners provides customers with a solution to help them save time and money, and also support energy efficiency in their home."

The Kenmore line of water softeners can help families reduce their energy costs, and specific models include exclusive IntelliSoft™ technology. This technology enables the system to use up to 24 percent less salt and 17 percent less water than other leading brands.(5)

Kenmore Water Softeners offer many other environmental benefits, including:

• Decreases the amount of soaps and detergents that are released down the drain since one benefit of having a water softener is that you'll use less of these products;
• Reduced film on tubs and fixtures, makes cleaning easier, and less time consuming, and saving water
• Extends the life of appliances, which reduces the associated landfill impact when they are disposed of at the end of their life cycle.

For better drinking water at home, Kenmore also offers a line of drinking water systems to remove many of the most common contaminants found in water(6). Kenmore Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems and the Kenmore Elite® Advanced Two-Stage Drinking Water Filter offer a higher level of filtration. With these two products, customers can enjoy filtered water at their sink, which improves the quality of their drinking water by removing contaminants such as arsenic, lead, nitrates, sodium, chlorine and sediment(7). Additionally, the Kenmore Elite® Central Water Whole Home Filtration System provides a central, full-home solution for customers who want to get rid of chlorine taste and odor in their water. Pricing information:

• Kenmore Elite® Central Water Whole Home Filtration System – $329.99 to $479.99
• Kenmore Elite® Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System – $239.99 to $299.99
• Kenmore Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System - $159.99 to $199.99
• Kenmore Elite® Advanced Two-Stage Drinking Water Filter – $111.99 to $139.99

For more information on Kenmore Water Treatment products, please visit www.Kenmore.com or www.sears.com.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End – among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck Web site at http://www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation Web site at http://www.searsholdings.com.

(1) "For the instantaneous gas water heater, the use of a water softener to reduce the scale forming compounds in water will result in natural gas savings. This energy savings will lead to direct economic savings in proportion to the reduced natural gas consumption. Further, the lower use of energy leads to reductions in the carbon footprint. Total energy consumption accounts for both natural gas to fire the water heater and electricity to operate the softener," Battelle/WQRF Study on the Benefits of Removal of Water Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium Ions) from a Water Supply, February 2010

(2) Battelle/WQRF Study on the Benefits of Removal of Water Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium Ions) from a Water Supply, February 2010

(3) "Showerheads operating on unsoftened water had an equivalent field service of 1.37 years, and the showerheads on soft water had an equivalent field service of 1.57 years. The unsoftened water was at approximately 26 grains per gallon, and the soft water was at approximately 0.55 grain per gallon," Battelle/WQRF Study on the Benefits of Removal of Water Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium Ions) from a Water Supply, February 2010

(4) "The low flow showerheads, faucets, dishwashers, and clothes washers using softened water (0.55 grains per gallon) had almost no water scale buildup at the end of testing. In contrast, the identical fixtures and appliances tested using unsoftened water (26 grains per gallon) showed significant scale buildup on all interior surfaces," Battelle/WQRF Study on the Benefits of Removal of Water Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium Ions) from a Water Supply, February 2010

(5) Based on 200 gallons per day and 15 grains hardness. Kenmore water softeners have a demand initiated regeneration (D.I.R.) feature that complies with specific performance specifications intended to minimize the amount of regenerant brine and water used in its operation. These softeners have a rated salt efficiency of not less than 3,350 grains of total hardness exchange per pound of salt (based on sodium chloride) and shall not deliver more salt than their listed rating. The rated salt efficiency is measured by laboratory tests described in NSF/ANSI Standard 44

(6) Kenmore Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems tested and certified by NSF International against NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for the reduction of chlorine taste and odor, Standard 58 for the reduction of arsenic, asbestos, barium, cadmium, chromium (hexavalent), chromium (trivalent), copper, cysts, lead, nitrate (as N), nitrite (as N), radium 226/228, selenium, turbidity and TDS.

(7) Kenmore Drinking Water Filter System Tested and Certified by NSF International against NSFI/ANSI Standard 42 for the reduction of chlorine taste, and odor and Standard 53 for the reduction of cyst, lead, MTBE, and VOCs.

SOURCE Kenmore