June, 2007
Efficient Toilets Make More Than Just $ense
In November 2005, The City of Calgary expanded its residential toilet rebate program to include multi-unit properties. Since the expansion in November, approximately 2272 water guzzling toilets have been replaced in Calgary apartments, condos and other multi-unit dwellings (eg. anything greater than a duplex). For each replaced 13 or greater liter toilet The City of Calgary arranged a rebate of $50.00 to be applied to the building’s monthly water utility bill through Enmax. For Sarcee Meadows condominium complex in Calgary, replacing 250 old, high volume toilets meant a rebate of $12,500.00. Noting the value of the incentive program Elena Schacherl, Sarcee Meadows General Manager said, ‘we wouldn’t have been able to convert to low-flush toilets at an accelerated pace without the City’s program.’
Not only does the rebate help to subsidize the capital cost of the toilet replacement, but immediate reductions in water consumption and sewage disposal charges are observed, bringing the payback period to within 1.6 years for an average apartment housing two tenants per suite. After that, the return on investment works out to over $63.00 per tenant per year. The final tally indicated the 250 toilets replaced in the condominium complex translated to over $15,000.00 per year in water and sewer utility savings.
So who is taking advantage of the program and all these savings? The City of Calgary has approved applicants ranging from single family residential to multi-unit residential building complexes, which may replace nearly 300 toilets at a time.
The application process is simple and the requirements are clearly outlined. You can access both the application and the requirements for approval through The City’s website or by calling 3-1-1 and asking about the Multi-Unit Toilet Rebate Program.
Even the selection of a quality toilet has been made easy since The City created its Eligible Low-Water-Use Toilet list which includes 18 different manufacturers and well over 100 models. Among the qualifications to make the final list, toilets had to meet standards set by an independent Maximum Performance Test which ensures the toilets are capable of removing greater than average mass loadings (i.e. 250 grams) in a single flush.
How long do you have to take advantage of The City’s rebate program? On average, other cities offer these incentives over a three year period, so applying sooner rather than later will assure you get in on this opportunity while it remains available.
Keep in mind, the savings and rebates resulting from this program may be the single greatest return on investment you make on your building – and it’s easy too. Toilet replacement is often completed by building managers or other building staff and a random sample of the newly installed toilets will be conducted at no charge by The City’s Water Resource personnel to ensure your new installs will continue to conserve water and save you money well into the future.
If you are interested in getting started or just have more questions about how the program works call 3-1-1 or search online at www.calgary.ca/toilet and follow the links to the Multi-unit Residential Toilet Replacement Program.
