US proposes change to shower rules after Donald Trump's hair-washing moan

The US government has proposed changes to ease shower pressure standards, after President Donald Trump repeatedly complained that the bathroom fixtures do not work to his liking.

The Department of Energy plans to allow shower heads to boost water pressure followed comments from the president last month at a White House event on rolling back regulations.

He said he believed water does not come out fast enough from fixtures, adding: “So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer?

"Because my hair - I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect.”

Last December, Mr Trump said environmental regulators were looking at sinks, faucets and toilets to revise rules meant to conserve water and fuel that heats it.

Mr Trump told a meeting of small business leaders at the White House: “People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once."

Consumer groups decried the plan, saying current rules saved consumers money by conserving water and fuel.

The proposal would effectively allow shower fixtures to include multiple shower heads that would get around the 2.5 litres per minute standard Congress set in 1992 under Republican president George H.W. Bush.

The Energy Department also proposed easier standards on clothes washers.

The Trump administration says its regulatory rollbacks save average American households $3,100 a year. But conservationists say easing bathroom fixture standards could boost energy and water costs.

It is uncertain whether the plan will be finalised. Mr Trump is campaigning for reelection and trails in opinion polls ahead of the vote on 3 November. If he wins and the proposal advances it could also face court battles.

David Friedman, vice president of advocacy at the organisation Consumer Reports and a former Energy Department official, said there was no need to change the rules because tests show today’s shower heads “achieve high levels of customer satisfaction,” and also save money.

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