Toilet Trade-in Could Mean Money in Your Pocket | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Fresno, CA There's at least one toilet in everybody's residence. How many times a day does it get flushed in yours? There are new low flow toilets that use less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. When we met Catherine Guild at her North Frenso home she explained that she had installed three low flow toilets, "We were a little bit concerned, as everyone is, will it be strong enough of a flush?" The answer turned out to be yes. She bought them earlier this summer, "And I had a lot of company in June so it passed the test with them. Ha! Ha!"

Guild also got something else besides satisfaction. The city of Fresno sent her a 75 dollar rebate for each one of them. Three is the city's rebate limit. The City's water conservation supervisor, Nora Laikam told us the rebate is money spent to help conserve water and to save money, "Because it takes a lot of power to pump water from the underground. So the less water we pump the better."

We dropped in to the Lowe's store at Riverpark to check out these water saving toilets. They are sold just about anywhere you find plumbing. In the Lowe's plumbing department, Anthony Battistoni showed us his inventory, "We only have four models in stock right now but the four we have are flying out the door right now, as fast as we can stock them." We found one priced as low as $100 dollars. After the 75 dollar rebate you'd pay $37 plus tax. Nora Laikam had told us, "There are all kinds of choices out there, anyone on any income could really do it and benefit by it."

With water meters looming on the it horizon it won't be long before the conservation issues give way to economics. In January of 2010 customers who have water meters will get bills for the number of gallons of water they actually use. By 2013 every city of Fresno water customer will too.

Catherine Guild decided to be ready long before that day arrives, "I'd rather take a long shower that have a long flushing toilet! Ha Ha."

All Fresno city residential water customers are eligible for this 75 dollar rebate. For more information call Fresno water conservation at 559-621-5480 or log onto its website -- www.fresnowater.org for an application.

Related Links:

Water Meter Volunteer Information

Top Toilets - Get the Flush Test