To provide states and their residents opportunities to save significant volumes of water, Plumbing Manufacturers International is focusing on legacy product replacement as the first project of its new “Rethink Water” initiative. Working to gain support from policymakers and stakeholders, PMI is advocating for large-scale legacy product replacement programs across the country, starting with California and other states affected by prolonged drought.

Because toilets generally use the most water in a home, replacing them is a good place to start.

Many California cities have achieved good results with toilet replacement programs, including Santa Clarita, Napa, Long Beach and several counties in southern California. However, a concerted, coordinated effort across the state would help California meet its aggressive water conservation and efficiency goals more quickly. 

Enormous Opportunity

A new PMI-commissioned study showed that about 34 million toilets exist across the state, but only about 23% meet the California mandate for newly installed toilets of 1.28 gallons per flush or less. This presents an enormous opportunity to install high-performing, water-efficient toilets and other plumbing products produced by PMI members and others to save up to 326 billion gallons of water over 30 years across California.

By accelerating the replacement of these legacy toilets, 65.3 billion gallons can be saved within five years and 95.7 billion gallons within 10 years.

PMI’s study, conducted by GMP Research, analyzed market penetration of mandated water-efficient fixtures in California. The study found that if the state created a toilet replacement program focused on disadvantaged communities – which tend to have older, inefficient plumbing products – 3.2 billion gallons of water can be saved in three to five years by replacing 469,000 3.5-plus-gpf toilets currently in use with water-efficient 1.28-gpf toilets. 

The study found that significant water savings can be achieved in commercial settings, too. In California, market penetration of tank-based toilets meeting the state mandate of 1.28 gpf or less sits below 27% while market penetration of commercial toilets with flushometer valves that operate at 1.28 gpf or less sits at 27.5%. 

Replacement Programs Work

Legacy product replacement programs work. Put simply, replacing old, inefficient legacy toilets with new high-efficiency models deliver excellent results. Examples of successful toilet replacement and rebate programs can be found across the country, with many occurring in California. 

Santa Clarita, Calif., for example, provides an excellent example. Using the EPA’s Water Score, the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency tracked and analyzed water use in 12,000 units in 50 apartment complexes, reported Matthew Dickens, sustainability manager at SCV Water, during a recent EPA webinar. The EPA’s Water Score for multifamily buildings is generated by the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool and applies a 1-100 rating of how efficiently a building uses water compared with similar properties nationwide. 

“SCV Water found that in general and relative to other customers, the apartment complexes were using the same amount of water regardless of drought conditions and requests from the state for increased conservation,” Dickens said. 

The agency installed and rebated 5,157 WaterSense 1.0 gpf toilets; installed 3,262 WaterSense showerheads with a flow rate of 1.75 gallons per minute; repaired 200 toilet leaks; and made irrigation and other adjustments.

Savings achieved between summer 2019 and fall 2022 totaled 214,492,383 gallons of water – equivalent to 140 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the EPA.

Winning a WaterSense Excellence Award for its program, SCV Water has continued its Multifamily Apartment Project, where contractors provide water efficiency check-ups, install WaterSense faucet aerators and showerheads, and recommend toilet upgrades where needed.

PMI member Kohler Co. has been working with the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Whirlpool, and the city of Long Beach, Calif., on a pilot project to demonstrate how water conservation strategies can lower water use and improve the affordability of water and sewer services for low-income residents.

Kohler donated 200 WaterSense 1.28-gpf toilets and 200 WaterSense 1.5-gpm showerheads to be installed at no cost to residents in low-income areas of Long Beach.

The program is part of AWE’s broader efforts to support the installation of water-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances, advocate for direct-install programs to meet the needs of low-income households, advance more equitable access to water-saving devices, and ultimately help people sustainably save water and manage their water bills, noted Ron Burke, CEO of AWE.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has had strong results with its six-county water-efficient toilet rebate program focused on multi-family customers in disadvantaged communities. Metropolitan’s pilot program helped retrofit nearly 8,000 high-efficiency toilets, according to the EPA WaterSense “Assistance That Saves” report.

Property owners could get a rebate of $250 for premium high-efficiency toilets flushing with 1.1 gpf or less – enough to cover the cost of the new toilet and installation. About 40% of the toilets replaced were 3.5-gpf models.

In addition, the city of Napa has reported saving more than 3 billion gallons of water since launching its “Toilet Retrofit Program” in 1991.

We’re encouraged to see large commercial projects focused on water efficiency. Denver International Airport recently announced an $83 million project to cut water use, increase energy efficiency, and reduce its carbon footprint. The project will involve retrofitting 932 toilets and 285 urinal flush valves, adding 715 flow restrictors on faucets, and installing 61 low-flow showerheads. Together, these retrofits are estimated to contribute to a 28% reduction in water use annually, the Denver Gazette recently reported.

Public-private Partnerships

How can we best get these water-efficient bathroom products into homes in California and other water-challenged states? PMI believes that public-private partnerships and incentives to replace inefficient toilets is the best response to water shortages caused by climate change, population growth, and continued residential and commercial development.

PMI plans to continue informing and engaging interested organizations and policymakers in this effort to help California. We will gather ideas on how to best fund and organize a statewide legacy product replacement program with possibilities ranging from state government-funded programs and demonstration projects run by non-governmental organizations to potential corporate donations of products and funds.

PMI and AWE will persist with coordinated efforts to advocate for toilet and other plumbing fixture replacement programs not only in California, but also across other states facing long-term drought conditions.

Both organizations have collaborated to urge the Bureau of Reclamation to spend some of its funding on legacy product replacement programs. These programs offer quick, reliable and cost-effective ways to generate sustained water savings – all while helping improve people’s homes and businesses. The bureau received $4 billion for water-related and drought-relief programs that were included in the climate portion of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

We believe our industry can collectively work together to help states like California find sensible solutions to water efficiency challenges. Whether you’re a plumbing manufacturer, industry association, contractor, plumber or distributor – you can help “rethink water” so future generations will have safe, easy access to this most precious resource. Contact me at any time – let’s collaborate! 

Kerry Stackpole, FASAE, CAE, is the CEO/executive director of Plumbing Manufacturers International. Stackpole has spent over three decades leading trade associations in manufacturing, technology and services. Contact him at kstackpole@safeplumbing.org.