Photo by fran hogan on Unsplash
While the cost for toilet replacement is buying the toilets themselves and the installation cost if you pay to have it done professionally you may be pleasantly surprised to know that in the long term the actual cost of this home improvement project may be zero.
In fact, the short to medium term cost might be zero when you factor in the water savings that you can achieve by switching your old water guzzling toilets to low flow, dual flush toilets. The cost savings from less water usage can be dramatic, the older your current toilets are.
Modern low flow dual flush toilets consume as little as 1.1 gallons per half flush and 1.6 gallons per full flush whereas pre-1982 toilets used upwards of 5 – 7 gallons each flush.
The cost savings through lower water costs will be noticed immediately and can significantly reduce your water bills from day one. Plus, many water conservation programs exist that offer discounts and rebates to switch to more water efficient products in your home that will save you even more money.
What is a low flow toilet?
A low flow toilet is just that: A toilet that requires a low amount of water to flush every single time. When they were first introduced, some experienced blockages and poor performance. The days of low flow toilets backing up and needing to be flushed twice are largely over with newer, modern technology.
Up until the early 1980s, it wasn’t uncommon for a toilet to use 5 to 7 gallons for every single flush. By the early 1990s, that number had been reduced to under 2 gallons. Now it’s not uncommon to find various models that flush with 1.1 to 1.6 gallons each time.
What is a dual flush toilet?
Dual flush toilets (see the photo above) have two flushing options:
Half flush button: Used for liquid waste, this option uses slightly less water every single flush.
Full flush button: Used for solid waste, this option uses slightly more water every single flush.
Some dual flush toilets operate with a more standard flushing lever where you (for example) pull the handle up for liquid waste and push the handle down for solid waste.
While dual flush toilets have been in use in Europe and Australasia for decades – I have family in New Zealand that had dual flush toilets in the mid 1980s – they are a newer phenomenon in North America.
Modern toilets can be both dual flush and low flow built into one.
Low flow toilet complaints
When low flow toilets first hit the market, they did often suffer from some side effects and costs:
- They often needed to be flushed twice to completely empty the bowl which defeated the purpose of having a low flow toilet.
- They were known to clog due to the decrease in water and water pressure.
- They were often louder than standard toilets.
- They cost more than standard toilets.
Modern low flow toilets flush correctly the first time, don’t clog, aren’t loud and are cheaper than older style toilets when you factor in rebates and reduced water usage. Low flow toilets tend to be very durable and long lasting too.
How can you check how much water your toilet uses?
Lift up the seat hinge and look at top of the bowl underneath the hinge. You should see a marking that lists a number in gallons per flush (GPF) or liters per flush (LPF). This tells you the water usage every time you flush that particular toilet.
The higher your GPF or LPF number, the more water you can save by switching to a low flow dual flush toilet.
How we use water daily
The EPA suggests that the average American family uses an incredible 300 gallons of water per day
. 70% is used inside the house and 30% is used outside the home.
Here’s how the EPA suggests we use water on a daily basis inside the home.
| Type of water use | % of water use |
| Toilet | 24% |
| Shower | 20% |
| Faucet | 19% |
| Clothes washer | 17% |
| Leak | 12% |
| Other | 8% |
With toilets and faucets making up a full 44% of total indoor water usage, you can see how focusing on reducing water usage in these two areas alone will help immensely to reduce water usage.
Add in front loading washing machines for clothes, and you can reduce water usage even more. Patch up those leaks and drips and get rid of another 12% of wasted water, too.
Let’s take a closer look at how we can accomplish this and what government programs are in place to financially assist us to do so.
Water-efficient product rebate programs
When I replaced three old toilets in our home with low flow dual flush toilets that used less water, not only did our water bill drop dramatically from day 1, we also received instant and mail in rebates from both Home Depot where I bought the toilets and our local government.
In all I bought three toilets that normally retailed for over $100 each for around $25 each once the rebates were applied. And our water bills dropped significantly right away.
Here are some suggestions to learn about rebate programs in your local area for various water-saving products that can save you money in the short and long term.
- WaterSense Rebate Finder: Learn about rebate programs for both the US and Canada for water-efficient toilets, showerheads, faucets and water conservation services.
- Google your local municipality, city or region along with “low flow toilet rebates” or “water efficient rebates” or similar to find local rebate programs you can take advantage of.
- Contact your local city or regional government directly to enquire about water-efficient product rebates.
- Keep an eye open at your local Home Depot, Lowes and other hardware or DIY stores as they may advertise these programs themselves which is how I found about my local rebate program.
How much money can you save with a low flow toilet(s)?
The question everyone wants to know. It’s also the hardest one to answer since it depends on:
- How many toilets you are replacing.
- The price you pay for each new toilet and installation costs if any.
- The amount of water your current toilet(s) use versus the ones you’re replacing them with.
- How much water costs in your local area.
The older your toilets, the more water they will use and the more you save by switching.
Quick and dirty savings method: Take a look at your latest water bills. Confirm how much your current toilets consume with each flush in gallons per flush. Subtract an amount off your water bill between 10% – 20% to be conservative and see what the savings are. You may be able to reduce your total water consumption by that range by switching your toilets to low flow.
We personally noticed significant permanent savings on our water bills by switching three toilets to dual flush low flow.
Saving money on water-efficient products
Without exaggeration, the three low flow toilets I installed paid for themselves within one month as our water bill dropped by over 30% in the first bill period after changing the toilets.
And as we installed dual flush toilets – with both a half flush option for liquid waste and full flush option for solid waste – we quickly found that we could actually use the half flush option at all times with no trouble or blockages, saving even more money. We had no water leaks or waste that I was aware of but we suddenly became much more efficient users of water with no change in our habits.
We added in low flow showerheads and low flow faucet aerators in our kitchen and bathroom faucets too. While harder to quantify, I know we saved money there with reduced water usage.
Is replacing a toilet easy?
I replaced several toilets in our house myself for the purposes of switching to low flow dual flush toilets that used much less water. The cost savings were dramatic: Our total home water usage plummeted right away as we went from 3 toilets that each used around 2 gallons per flush to dual flush toilets that used 1.1 gallons per flush (half flush) and 1.6 gallons per flush (full flush) respectively.
We saved even more because our local Home Depot had partnered with our local government to offer an instant savings at the cash register along with a mail in coupon that reduced toilet prices from about $100 to $25 each with the discounts applied.
I decided to do the work myself. I read the product instructions and watched several YouTube videos to see how the work was done. Other than having to use a hacksaw to saw off one rusted bolt on one toilet, the work was straight forward. Of course you can easily hire a plumber to do the work for you.
Thinking about doing the work yourself, too? Here’s a short video from Home Depot which shows how you can replace old toilets yourself if you’re so inclined.