Harvey W. Hottel, Inc.

Since 1945

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High-Efficiency Toilets Save Money and Conserve Water

Installing high-efficiency toilets in your home is a responsible and economical decision. Traditional toilet model use accounts for an astounding 25 to 30 percent of your household water use, which can lead to high water bills and huge demands on valuable water resources. In addition, if your home operates on a septic system, that high percentage of toilet waster use can quickly add up into high volumes of wastewater to be processed by your system and ultimately shorten your septic system's lifespan.

High-efficiency toilets use 1.6 gallons of water or less per flush, while older toilets have 3.5- to 5-gallon water reservoirs. High-efficiency toilets are quickly becoming the trend, and the law, as Federal law mandates that new toilets may not use more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Homeowners can easily pick out high-efficiency toilets from older models by looking for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense label and certification, which applies to high-efficiency toilets certified by an independent testing laboratory to meet performance and efficiency criteria.

The EPA estimates that a WaterSense high-efficiency toilet can save up to 4,000 gallons per year. If a family of four replaces one standard toilet with a WaterSense toilet, they can save $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet -- in fact, the older the toilet you replace, the greater the potential savings. If your water bill is too high, or if your septic system often floods, consider replacing your existing toilets with high-efficiency models.

For more money-saving plumbing and HVAC tips and services, contact Harvey W. Hottel Inc. Based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Harvey W. Hottel serves the entire Baltimore, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC region with expert heating and air conditioning, plumbing, duct cleaning, and geothermal services.