Toilet Talk and Commode Cash

NEW PROGRAM ENCOURAGES CARY CITIZENS TO STOP FLUSHING WATER AND MONEY DOWN THE COMMODE
400 rebates of $150 now available for replacing older toilets with high-efficiency models

CARY, NC - As part of its ongoing efforts to lead the state in conserving finite natural resources, the Town of Cary has begun offering $150 rebates to water customers who replace their older toilets that use between 3.5 and 5 gallons of water per flush (gpf) with new, high efficiency toilets (HET) that use 75 to 80 percent less water or 1.28 gpf ( Click here for details ). An initiative approved by the Cary Town Council on March 13, 2008, as part of four new innovative water conservation measures, the HET Retrofit Rebate Program is aimed at reducing indoor water usage. In its initial phase, the program provides 400 rebates to Cary water customers for replacing their older toilets with WaterSense labeled high-efficiency toilets in their homes or businesses -- a limit of three rebates per single-family property and five per non-residential property, all issued on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Town of Cary water customers -- including those in Morrisville -- are eligible to participate in the program. To apply for a rebate, residential and non-residential customers must mail in a completed application with original receipt(s) dated on or after June 3, 2008. Following a site visit to verify the new toilets installation, the Town will issue a rebate check to qualified applicants within about four weeks.

"As a community that has long been on the forefront of water conservation, we are pleased to begin implementing this new program as one more way our citizens can continue our successful culture of conservation," said Water Conservation Coordinator Marie Cefalo. "In Cary, we've found that our greatest source of indoor water usage comes from toilets, so If 400 toilets per year are replaced, the Town could save an estimated 2.6 to 4 million gallons of water per year."

The prices of high efficiency toilets are comparable in price to regular toilets, with prices beginning at $119.

The Town's Water Conservation Program has two focus areas: (1) reducing per capita water consumption, and (2) managing the peak demands that occur during the hottest, driest times of the year. These program goals are accomplished through education, regulation, and financial incentives such as a tiered rate structure, rain barrel sales, and toilet flapper rebates.

For a listing of toilets that are WaterSense certified as High Efficiency, visit the WaterSense site. For more about the Town's water conservation initiatives, click on Water Conservation or call (919) 469-4090.


CONTACTS: Marie Cefalo, Water Conservation Coordinator, (919) 469-4387
April Raphiou, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 481-5091
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, (919) 460-4951