By Kristine Gariepy
The City of Ottawa is cracking down on old, water-guzzling toilets by providing residents with a rebate program for new water-efficient ones.
Residents are responding to the Toilet Replacement Program, launched by Mayor Larry O’Brien last month It gives homeowners the opportunity to receive a $60 to $75 rebate when they purchase water-efficient toilets. A list of eligible toilet models can be found on the city’s website.
Although the program has not been widely advertised, the city has received 11 applications within the first few weeks of the program’s launch.
While the city claims the program is starting well, businesses around Ottawa are slow to begin advertising to potential clients about the rebate. Both Home Depot and Rona Home and Garden have yet to place signage up in Ottawa-area stores.
Erin Wilson, kitchen and bath manager of the South Keys Home Depot, says she only received educational information about the program for the staff. “But a lot of customers do inquire about energy-efficient toilets, and signage will be up in the store soon.” Home Depot sells around 15 of the toilets.
Rona Home and Garden in Nepean sent plumbing manager Susan Schaefer to a city training session. “Currently the store only has one of the toilets on the list in stock,” she says. “Once more are ordered, signage by the city will be on display.”
Residents must follow specific rules that are listed on the city’s website to apply for the rebate. Along with the specific toilet purchased, homes must have been built before 1996 and have at least one toilet with a flush volume greater than six litres.
To be considered for the rebate, an application form must be filled out along with water metre information, original receipt from purchase, tax roll number and proof of installation.
The program is part of the city’s Water Efficiency Strategy launched in 2005. “We are currently in phase two of the program, which includes indoor water usage,” says Petti.
This summer the program focused on outdoor water usage specifically on watering of lawns.
Plumber Tim Quile says although the rebate is welcome, it is quite restrictive, as “the rebate only applies to one toilet, per household, per year.”
Quile says the cost of installation varies from $59 to almost $200. “Every toilet is different, labour and parts can increase the price even more especially when replacing an older model.”
The cost of the energy-efficient toilets can be expensive compared to the models that flush more than six litres. High volume toilets cost around $100 and water-efficient toilets cost up to $500.
Since older homes can have toilets that flush up to 20 litres, the city is aiming to bring this number down drastically.
“The average family of four uses 116 cubic metres of water a year just by flushing their 20 litres toilet,” says Coun. Alex Cullen. “Our goal is to reduce this to 23 cubic metres a year with four-litres toilets.”
The project is expected to last until 2008. Petti says that currently the city has enough funding to rebate about 1,400 toilets.