Three Ways You Can Save Water in Your District
When residents of your legislative district use water more efficiently, they most likely achieve this efficiency through one of the products our members make. Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) members produce more than 90% of the toilets, showerheads, faucets and urinals used in America.
More than 37,000 toilet, showerhead, faucet and urinal products have become WaterSense-certified as meeting high performance standards while being at least 20% more water-efficient than standard products.
These WaterSense products have not been installed in most of the nation’s bathrooms, however. PMI estimates that only about one in five toilets in America meet WaterSense efficiency standards and about half of the nation’s showerheads and bathroom faucets meet WaterSense standards. There is much room for water-efficiency improvement using WaterSense products currently available in the marketplace!
Offering rebates, legacy product replacement and tax-free holidays can help to save water in your district.
Legacy product replacement is a project of PMI’s Rethink Water initiative, an effort to ensure that future generations have reliable access to clean and safe water. Rethink Water addresses the effects of climate change and aging water infrastructure by building a coalition sharing a vision of sustainably managed water.
Three Ways You Can Save Water in Your District
- Rebates
Offering rebates is an idea that’s been used with great success. Generally offered by a water utility or home improvement retailer, they also have been provided on a city-wide, county-wide or even state-wide basis. Rebates provide a payment with proof of purchase of a WaterSense product. Big Bear Lake, California; Cobb County, Georgia; Durham, North Carolina; Plano, Texas; and Sacramento, California, are among the municipalities that have offered rebates for purchasing WaterSense toilets or other WaterSense products. These programs are sometimes seeded with state funding. - Legacy Product Replacement
Legacy product replacement provides an equitable way to achieve water savings. These programs cover product and installation costs for lower-income households or for residents who have older, inefficient toilets, showerheads or faucets. These programs continue to be developed by federal, state and local governmental entities, especially as drought persists and water resources recede. For example, the Minnesota Metropolitan Council Environmental Services’ Water Efficiency Grant Program recently collaborated with its 38 participating communities, including five WaterSense partners, to fund the replacement of 600 toilets.
Water utilities and municipalities have provided showerheads or faucet aerators for free to customers. San Antonio, Texas, had a decade-long program that delivered and replaced toilets free of charge until virtually no inefficient toilets were left to replace. The toilet replacement program contributed to a decrease in daily per capita water use from nearly 145 gallons to 118 gallons. - Tax-Free Holidays
States including Texas and Virginia have offered tax-free holidays for the purchase of WaterSense products. These programs exempt purchases from sales taxes for a limited time period.
Ask Us How We Can Help!
PMI staff can answer your questions and point you to additional resources as necessary.