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Don’t Throw Your Money Down the Drain
by Kerry Fleisher
With California in the middle of a drought, and water prices on the rise, property owners are turning to water-saving toilets and other devices to reduce residential and commercial water use. San Francisco Community Power, with funding from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, recently launched a program to install 2,000 high efficiency toilets for free to qualifying homes and small businesses in San Francisco.
Under SF Power’s High Efficiency Toilet Program, pre-1992 toilets, which typically use more than 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf), can be replaced with top-of-the-line 1.28 gpf models. The new HETs use at least 20% less water than the ones they’re replacing. The savings are created through the use of a vessel in the tank that mixes pressurized air with water, a state-of-the-art alternative to older toilets that rely on gravity to flush and remove waste. HETs have been rigorously tested for performance, and are certified by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.
HETs will be installed at apartments, homes, small businesses and nonprofits. For multitenant apartments to qualify for the program, at least one renter must meet low-income guidelines, which are comparable to the eligibility requirements for PG&E’s California Alternative Rates for Energy program. If there are more than three occupants in a qualifying household, more than one toilet per unit may be eligible for replacement.
Potential program participants will be provided with a complimentary water audit to determine whether their current toilets are eligible for replacement, and to identify other ways the home or business can reduce its water use. During this evaluation, additional free water-saving devices (such as faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads) will be distributed, as well as information about other PG&E, SF Power and SFPUC energy and water rebate programs.
Toilets manufactured before 1980 are one of the biggest water-wasting appliances in the city. These fixtures typically use between five to seven gpf. Between 1980 and 1992, toilets were upgraded to 3.5 gpf low-flush toilets. In 1992, the federal government mandated that toilet manufacturers produce toilets that used no more than 1.6 gpf, known as ultra low-flush toilets. HETs use as little as 1.28 gpf.
HETs produce money and water savings; 1.28 gpf toilets can save a family of four up to $250 a year. Older toilets are also more susceptible to leaks, which often account for 14% of a household’s water bill. Leaky toilets can waste more than 200 gallons a day. If a family of four with a leaky toilet switches to a 1.28 gpf model, the new HET would save up to 22,000 gallons a year.
The best way to determine if there’s a leak in one’s home is to look at the water bill, and pay attention to any irregularities in water use. Water use is measured in units on the SFPUC water bill, with one unit equal to 748 gallons. Water dials, located in the meter box near the front of a building or home, track water use using the 748-gallon-per-unit measurements; smaller dials that are in constant motion indicate a leak.
In addition to toilets, replacing other inefficient appliances, such as old washing machines and dishwashers, can save a household up to $1,200 a year on reduced water and wastewater bills, in addition to lower electric utility bills. For example, upgrading to a new high efficiency front-loading clothes washer can save upwards of 7,000 gallons a year. The SFPUC offers a number of rebates to customers who want to replace their water-using appliances, including a $300 rebate for high efficiency urinals; a $200 rebate for efficient clothes washers; and a $50 rebate for pressurized water brooms. Faucet upgrades can also result in significant water savings. Low-flow showerheads—which are provided free under the program—have the potential to conserve 8,000 gallons a year.
Toilets produced in the United States after 1992—which are ineligible for the program—will have a 1.6 gpf stamp readily visible on them; toilets that qualify for the HET program won’t have the stamp. Instead, a date stamp located inside the tank or tank lid can verify whether the toilet was produced prior to 1992. SF Community Power auditors can also determine whether a toilet that contains neither a gpf or date stamp qualifies for the program.
Toilets with unusual site conditions or maintenance issues, such as a buckled floor around the toilet base, as well as flushometer and industrial-type toilets, don’t qualify for the program. Qualifying toilets are typically 12 to 14 inches from the floor bolt to the wall. Round front toilets, elongated toilets and American Disability Act models are all eligible for replacement under the program.
SFPUC is available to conduct water evaluations for San Franciscans who don’t qualify for the HET program. Residential customers are eligible to receive up to $125 in rebates for toilets; with $200 rebates for commercial establishments. Eligible toilets, which are listed on SFPUC’s website, range from single-flush to dual-flush models, some of which use as little as .8 gpf. Old toilets can be recycled at San Francisco Recycling and Disposal on Tunnel Avenue.
SF Community Power has hired a team of auditors that speak English, Spanish and Chinese languages. The auditors have been trained to inspect homes for leaks and can offer advice on how to resolve water problems. During a home or business evaluation, auditors will record showerhead, kitchen sink and bathroom sink gallons per minute readings, and provide complimentary substitute devices to reduce water use.
The HET program will help to conserve one of San Francisco’s most precious natural resources: water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. SF Community Power and SFPUC are committed to other environmentally sustainable practices. After the replaced toilets are disassembled, the metal and plastic parts will be recycled and the porcelain crushed for road base.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the SF Apartment Magazine. Kerry Fleisher, a UC Berkeley graduate, works for the Potrero View and Neighborhood Newswire. She focuses on land-use issues and environmental practices. Copyright © 2008 by Black Point Press. All rights reserved.