Seaching for a New Loo?
Your Very Own Eco-Throne
High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) are the latest in toilet technology. There are two catagories of HETs -
a gravity-fed, dual-flush fixture and a 1.0 gallon pressure-assist fixture. HETs use at least 20% less
water than the more common Ultra Low Flow (ULF) toilets. ULFs use 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) while
HETs generally use 1.28 gpf or less. In fact, dual-flush fixtures can use as little as 0.8 gpf
to dispose of liquid waste. Long used in Europe, Japan and Australia, and a favorite of the U.S. green
building community, dual-flush models are now being widely specified for new construction and home
remodeling projects. More than 80 different HET models are now available from 16 different manufacturers. Costs range from $200 to $500 for most models.
The city offers a $50 rebate for up to three toilets in new construction. Even customers who've previously participated in the City's Toilet Replacement Programs are eligible
for this ongoing incentive - just check the "HET Upgrade" option on the Toilet Rebate Application.
Be sure to check the HET section
of the city's online toilet list *before* you buy.
Toilets are
selected for the city's list based on two criteria: 1) all must have excellent flushing performance and 2) gravity toilets cannot use more than two gallons per flush, no matter which
replacement flapper is used. Many low-flow toilets use an early-closure flapper. If this flapper is mistakenly replaced with a
standard flapper, the water use can skyrocket up to 4 gallons per flush. The City's criteria for selecting fixture models were based on
three studies:
Toiletology 101
ULF toilets haven't always had great reviews but they are much better now. The first generation of 1.6
gpf models prompted waves of consumer complaints: One flush was not doing the job, and multiple
flushes were negating water savings. There were stories of people hoarding 3.5 gpf models and of an
underground market in older toilets. An EPA study in 2003 estimated that 45% of America's 222 million
toilets still did not meet the 1.6 gpf standard.
Manufacturers have worked out the problems with the 1.6 gpf models and the new HETs have performed
extremely well during extensive testing. Over the next few years, all major toilet manufacturers are
expected to shift their focus to HETs. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has released
specifications for HETs, along with a new certification label called WaterSense. WaterSense provides
information on products and programs that save water without sacrificing performance. Toilets that are
certified by independent laboratory testing for both performance and efficiency and use less than 1.3
gallons per flush qualify for EPA's WaterSense label.
But I Already Have a Low Flow Toilet
According to the Department of Energy, the U.S. uses about 4.8 billion gallons of water every day to
flush waste. In Austin, the average family of four uses about 9,000 gallons of water every month.
Since toilets account for nearly one-third of indoor water consumption, the potential for
savings in this area is significant. Current Federal law requires that residential toilets
manufactured after January 1, 1994, must use no more than 1.6 gpf. Although
we are flushing away less water than before, even more water can be saved by using HETs. The Toto company
claims that a family of four using one of their new dual-flush models could save 7,000 gallons of
water a year beyond what is already saved by the standard 1.6 gpf model.
A Visual History of the Flush
Before the 1950s, toilets in the U.S. typically used 7 gallons or more for each flush. By the end of
the 1960s, toilets were flushing with 5.5 gallons, and in the 1980s new toilets were using 3.5
gallons. Today, a new toilet uses no more than 1.6 gallons of water and an HET uses 1.3 gpf or less.
Visit the City of Austin Water Conservation web site for more information, or if you have questions, please call 974-2199.
Resources
Toilet Trivia
What was the first television program that featured a toilet?
Believe it or not, TV's first toilet was seen in an episode of "Leave it to Beaver" in 1957. The
episode's title was Captain Jack. In the episode, Wally and the Beave order a baby alligator through
the mail and hide it in the toilet tank. Tight camera angles were used so that only the tank could be
seen on the show. The "seat" portion of the toilet was never shown because people in the 1950s did not
go to the bathroom.
Source: The Toilet Museum
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