BOULDER COUNTY – March 7, 2016 – Local residents with older, water-wasting toilets have a novel way to conserve water and save money thanks to a new toilet upgrade program. Starting Tuesday, March 8, Boulder County residents can tap into a new local incentive to get a high-efficiency toilet for $50, a significant savings on a toilet that normally retails at over $200.
The program is available through the Boulder-based nonprofit Center for ReSource Conservation in partnership with Boulder County in an effort to conserve water. By using new technology, each toilet uses 50-70% less water than a traditional toilet without sacrificing performance, saving a typical family more than 300,000 gallons of water over its useful life.
“Colorado is facing a water shortage,” said Neal Lurie, president of the Center for ReSource Conservation. “This high-efficiency toilet upgrade program makes it easy to conserve water. If your toilet is more than twenty years old, chances are it’s time for an upgrade – and this program can help you save money and water from day one.”
According to the new statewide Water Plan, Colorado is facing an estimated 182 billion gallon annual shortfall by the year 2050 due to population growth, agricultural needs, and other competing demands. Conservation programs are cited as key to closing the gap.
The nonprofit’s program was initially piloted in 2013 in partnership with the City of Boulder. Last year it expanded to Lafayette and Thornton. More than 500 high-efficiency toilets have since been successfully installed earning high marks from customers. As the program now expands throughout Boulder County, there are an additional 600 new toilets available this year.
“Boulder County is excited to partner on this program,” said Susie Strife, Boulder County’s sustainability coordinator. “Updating existing plumbing fixtures to water-efficient models is a good way Boulder County residents can take action towards water use reduction goals and help conserve our precious resources.”
Boulder County residents, as well as landlords, can get one Niagra Stealth toilet per address per calendar year through this program. This is a toilet replacement program – participants must have an old toilet to recycle in order to qualify for this program.
“There are a lot of really old, leaky toilets out there,” added Morgan Shimabuku, who manages this program for the Center for ReSource Conservation. “Many of the homes in Boulder County were built decades ago and still have the original fixtures. This program will help address that pent up demand. And since it is a permanent fixture replacement it doesn’t require any behavior changes so the savings are locked-in.”
The $50 purchase price is based on the homeowner doing a self-install and includes the cost of recycling of the old toilet, which will be part of Earth Day events on April 22 and 23. Alternatively, a Center for ReSource Conservation technician can install the toilet for an additional $75. Boulder County residents can learn more and reserve their high-efficiency toilet online at: resourcecentral.org/HEtoilets
About the Center for Resource Conservation:
Founded in 1976, the Center for ReSource Conservation (CRC) is a 501c3 nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to putting conservation into action. Its programs serve more than 70,000 community members each year and make it easy to conserve water, energy, and materials. Learn more at resourcecentral.org
Contact:
Morgan Shimabuku, CRC,
