High efficiency toilets, or HETs have been on the market now for years.  We wrote about them two years ago when we launched GetWithGreen.com.

Essentially high efficiency toilets conserve a lot of water.  Many older toilets use 3.5-5 gallons of water per flush, and newer high efficiency toilets from Kohler or Caroma use far less (0.8-1.6 gallons).

Having recently installed Kohler Revival HETs in my remodel, I am extremely pleased with the quality.  Even with two small kids cramming just a bit too much toilet paper, the toilets perform incredibly well.  Also, since so little water is used, the toilet does not run for five minutes afterwards!

Make sure you check with your manufacturer of choice, and your local water company for rebates after purchasing your new toilets.  There are many programs available to save money.  Here is an example of a special savings from Caroma that is offered in a drought affected portion of Texas:

City of Alamo Heights Launches Toilet Replacement Program
Caroma and Morrison Supply help save water and costs with dual flush high efficiency toilets

Caroma, the leader in dual flush toilets and stylish sinks, is partnering with the City of Alamo Heights and Morrison Supply Company in Texas on a toilet replacement program for Alamo Heights water customers. The new program started on June 10^th, 2009.

Due to drought conditions, Alamo Heights is experiencing Stage 1 water restrictions. This includes limiting landscape watering to one designated day per week at specific hours, no impervious outdoor ground washing (parking lot, driveway, etc.), restaurants serving water only when customers request, and several additional restrictions. As part of these ongoing efforts to conserve limited water supplies, the City of Alamo Heights has created the toilet voucher replacement program to help conserve water in the house.

Approximately 30% of water in the home is used to flush a toilet. Many older toilets use 3.5 or 5 gallons of water per flush. The voucher rebate program enables homeowners to purchase a water-efficient Caroma toilet at a reduced cost andqualify for a $50 water bill credit with original proof of purchase. Two vouchers and two credits are available per occupied unit.

Eligible High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) are toilets that utilize no more than 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf). All Caroma toilets are high efficiency and feature a two button dual flush system that averages just 0.9-0.96 gallons per flush. This allows the user to choose a full flush (1.28 – 1.6 gallons per flush depending on model) for solid waste or 0.8 gallons per flush for liquid and paper waste. Based on an average flush volume of 0.9-0.96 gpf, the average house will save 40-44% more water than a standard 1.6 gallon toilet (the national mandate) and up to 74% more water than a 3.5 gallon toilet, which are still commonly installed in homes today.

“Water conservation has become extremely important as our water resources are becoming scarcer,” states Shawn Eddy, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works for the City of Alamo Heights. “By just replacing 3.5 to 5 gallon per flush toilets with high efficiency toilets, the city estimates a savings of 8,130 gallons of water per year. That is approximately 22 gallons of water per toilet per day.”

To find out more about the toilet replacement rebate program for City of Alamo Heights water customers and to obtain your rebate voucher, visit their website at www.alamoheightstx.gov. Toilets purchased through the Morrison Supply airport location are available for rebate, and the hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 7:30am – 5:00pm.

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If you haven’t replaced your old toilet you must.  The old toilets waste incredible amounts of water each time your family pulls the handle, and your toilet runs for a minimal time with each flush.  The new high efficiency toilets on the market work amazingly well. 

Earlier this month Caroma announced its newest high efficiency dual flush toilet (HET): the Sydney Low Profile.  The Low Profile is ideal for installations that require a shorter toilet due to space restrictions, such as under a counter or where a grab bar is located above the tank. It is a high efficiency toilet that uses 1.6/0.8 gallons per flush (full/half flush).  The toilet is 26 1/2″ tall. 

Two configurations of the Sydney Low Profile have already been WaterSense-approved, taking Caroma to 36, more than any other manufacturer on the market — according to Caroma!

The two button dual flush toilets give the user a choice: half flush for liquid or full flush for solids. Compared with an older 3.5 gallon toilet, a family of four could save nearly 18,000 gallons of water per year by switching to a Caroma dual flush toilet. A city of 10,000 people could save more than five million gallons of water per year with dual flush toilets.

The Sydney Low Profile is available in six bowl configurations including two Round Front Plus options, two elongated options, an Easy Height Round Front Plus, and an Easy Height Elongated.  All Caroma dual flush toilets feature wash down flushing, a large trapway (nearly double the industry average) to virtually eliminate clogging, and a 12? rough-in or 10-12? adjustable rough-in.

The new Low Profile is now available in white and biscuit (special order).  Prices on the web are about $349.

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Using water-efficient products we can save both our environment and money.  WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is making it easy for all of us homeowners to find and select water-efficient products.

On average, WaterSense labeled product use 20% more efficient than similar products that are not.  To achieve a WaterSense label, a manufacturer must get their product certified against a specification from WaterSense.

WaterSense Labeled Home Products

Bathroom Sink Faucets -If every household installed a WaterSense labeled faucet or aerator we could save more than 60 billion gallons of water annually.  By installing a WaterSense labeled faucet an average home will save 500 gallons each year – and this reduced demand of water requires less heating, which saves even more energy and money!

Here are the bathroom faucets and aerators you can find with WaterSense Labels:

• Delta (Lahara model)
• Moen (Banbury, Caldwell, FINA, Lindley, Muirfield, Rothbury models and more)
• Price Pfister (Ashfield, Falsetto, Hanover, Langston, SKYE, Vega, Virtue models)
• NEOPERL Aerators

Toilets -Inefficient toilets are responsible for much of the water wasted in American homes today.  Replacing these toilets could save nearly 2 billion gallons annually.  GetWithGreen.com covered the best of the best WaterSense toilets late last year.  The ones we provided pricing for were high-efficiency toilets (HETs).  Here is the WaterSense list:

• American Standard (Cadet, FloWise models)
• Caroma (Adelaide, Bondi, Brisbane, Caravelle, Colonial, Royale, Sydney)
• Cascadian (Toscano)
• Crane (Eco Opus III, EcoGalaxy, EcoMiser, Economiser, EcoSaratoga)
• Foremost (AIO, Plaza, Total)
• Gerber (Ultra Flush)
• Glacier Bay – Home Depot brand
• Jacuzzi (Espres)
• Kohler (Barrrington, Cimarron, Escale, Highline Pressure Lite, Kelston, Persuade, Saile, San Raphaeil Power Lite and Pressure Lite, Wellworth Pressure Lite)
• Mansfield (704, Prestigio, EcoQuantum, Quantum, QuantumOne)
• Niagara (1.0 PA, Eco-Logic)
• Pegasus – Home Depot Brand (Cottage)
• ProFLO (HET Dual Flush ADA, EF, and RF, HET Gravity Flush EF and RF)
• Quality Craft (Alexis HET)
• Sterling – a Kohler company (Karsten EB and PB, Rockton EB and PB, Stanton)
• Tangshan Ayers Bath (Dofiny HET)
• TOTO (Aquia I, II, & III, EcoClayton, EcoDartmouth, EcoDrake, EcoNexus, EcoPromenade, EcoSupreme, EcoUltramax, EcoWhitney, Gwyneth)
• Tynan (Casade ADA, EF, and RF, MacLair EF & RF)
• VitrA (Evergreen)
• Vortens (Dali, Delfos, Hurricane, Rhodas DF, Tornado, Tornado)

Weather- or sensor-based sprinkler control technologies – Turning off the sprinklers when they are not needed due to weather changes is something we often forget to do.  WaterSense is presently drafting a specification for manufacturers to recieve labels.  You can bet that products such as the Cyber-Rain XCI system and automatic sprinkler shut-offs will be working for qualification.

Showerheads- Showering represents 17% of indoor water use per household.  Today there are no Showerheads available with WaterSense labels, but the specification is being worked on now.

Finally, many water companies offer REBATES for the purchase of WaterSense labeled products, so make sure you check with your utility!!!

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We all think the same thing when someone mentions low-flush toilets.  So what are you thinking when I tell you there is a new toilet on the block called a High-Effieciency Toilet or HET? 

HET toilets on the market are designed to ensure both sustainable, efficient water use and a high level of user satisfaction with flushing performance.  A specification and certification was made available on January 24, 2007 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under a new program called Watersense.  The certifcation addresses residential toilets — like the one you are about to purchase for your remodel!!

Under the certification program, single flush toilets will not pass if their flush exceeds 1.28 gallons (4.8 liters) of water.  Note: 1.28 is a 20% reduction from that 1.6 gallon per flush model that was made mandatory with the ultra-low flush toilets in 1992!!  In addition the new HET toilets must be able to handle a greater “load” than the former ULF   Dual flush have similar requirements.  

So will it all go down you ask?  Well studies have shown that a typical loading is 350g, and ranges as high as 450g.  HETs must be capable of digesting 350g.  In order to achieve an EPA WaterSense label, a high-efficiency toilet must be able to completely clear all “test media” from the toilet in a single flush 4 out of 5 times.   Oh, and what is this test media comprised of you ask?  I know some of you want to try this at home…Well, try soybean paste (35.5% water, 33.8% soybean, 18.5% rice, and 12.2% salt) in the form of a sausage,  and last but not least four loosely crumpled balls of toilet paper (no brand specified, but they do require 1-ply).

And who makes high-efficiency toilets (HETs), and what is the price range:

American Standard - FloWise ($359 list)

Caroma - Adelaide, Bondi, Caravelle, Colonial, Royale, and Sydney models

Kohler – Cimarron EcoSmart ($338 list), Highline Pressure Lite ($508 list), San Raphael Power Litev($986 list), and Wellsworth Pressure Lite ($442 list)

Sterling (Kohler Company) – Karsten, Rockton, and Stanton brands

Toto - Aquia Dual Max ($395-454 list)

Vitra – EverGreen model

To close out, here is some fun Toilet Talk/Facts that are also pretty serious:

• Watersense estimates there are 222 million residential toilets in the US.
• 10 million new toilets are sold each year for installation
• Residential toilets account for approximately 30% of indoor residential water use = 2.1 trillion gallons of water consumed annually
• Each toilet gets flushed approx. 6.8X per day
• When 10% of existing toilets get replaced with HETs the total water savings could be approx. 246 million gallons/day, or a mind blowing 89.7 billion gallons/year
• If a family of four replaced a 3.5gpf toilet made between 1980 and 1994 with Watersense labeled toilet, they could save more than $90 annually on their water bill.  Savings could be 2X as much on a pre-1980 5.0gpf model!

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