If your toilet runs, if your faucets are older, if your shower head drips–you’re wasting both water and money. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household could save about $170 per year in water costs by installing water-efficient fixtures.
In the Seattle area, you may be eligible for a $100 rebate for installing a premium energy-saving toilet. To qualify for the rebate, your new toilet must be 1.1 gallons per flush or less. These toilets use 20 percent less water and remove 70 percent more solid waste compared to other energy-saving toilets.
If your existing toilets are pre-2004, you may be eligible for rebates for up to two toilets. You can find all the rebate information here
There are many types of energy-saving toilets, plus some new features. You may want a pressurized-air-assisted toilet, or one with overflow protection that stops you from flushing when the toilet is clogged.
Other new toilet features include a dual flush option for light or heavy use, an automatic touchless flush option, or toilets with bidet features. There are even kits so that you can retrofit your old toilet to save water, if you can’t afford a new toilet.
The Water Research Foundation estimates that if all the inefficient toilets in the United States were replaced with water-saving ones, it would save about 520 billion gallons of water per year. That’s a lot of water! It’s what flows over Niagara Falls every 12 days, according to the foundation.
In terms of your own savings, the estimate is that the new energy-saving toilet could save an average family up to $110 a year on your water bill, which amounts to $2,200 over the lifetime of the toilet.
And, in case you’re wondering, the average flushing is estimated at 5 flushes per person per day.
Your plumber can help you make the selection that’s right for your household and your budget.
Conserving Water Is Good
But it’s not just about money. Drips waste water. If you have a drip rate of just one drip per second, that adds up to more than 3,000 gallons wasted per year.
Conservation is a major aim of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). Our area is already conserving water. In its Water System Plan for 2019, the SPU notes that total water use decreased by 28 percent since 1990, at the same time that population served increased by the same percentage.
The SPU goal for the next decade is to keep the total average annual water use under 110 million gallons per day, despite a forecasted population growth. SPU expects to accomplish this by conservation–decreasing the per capita water use.
You can read a summary of the Water System Plan for 2019.
Drain Pro Plumbing is ready to help you upgrade your toilet and faucets. Call us for an appointment to review options and get a free estimate: (253) 236-5000. Check us out on Angie’s List and read some of our 395 five star reviews. Our work is tops, our prices are fair, and we’ll beat any other plumbing estimate by 5 percent!
