“Together, toilets and clothes washers account for approximately 45% of the water used inside your home.”

Last week I wrote about rebates for outdoor water-saving devices. Since about 70% of California water use goes to home landscaping, saving water in this area can greatly cut down on residential water use and, therefore, cut down on energy use and homeowner costs. This week’s post is about rebates for two standard, high-water using items in all homes—clothes washers and toilets. These rebates will also help homeowners save water, energy, and money.

High-efficiency clothes washers use about 55% less water than standard washer. Less water use also means that less energy will be used. And tests show that high-efficiency clothes washers last longer, and most are more energy-efficient. This means a lower energy bill as well as a lower water bill. Rebates for high-efficiency clothes washers start at $85.

Here are some tips that will help you save even more water, energy, and money when using your clothes washer:

Run full loads, if at all possible.

If small loads are necessary, match the water level to the load size.

Replace leaking or cracked valves and hoses immediately.

Use preventative maintenance to avoid a breakdowns or a costly flooding.

For more information, see the SoCal Water Smart High-Efficiency Clothes Washers webpage.

High-efficiency toilets (HETs) use about 20% less water than standard toilets. Rebates start at $50. For a list of qualifying models, see the qualifying products webpage. For a list of qualifying four liter models, go to the High-Efficiency Toilets webpage, then click on the four liter model link to download the file. For the answers to some frequently asked questions, see the FAQ page. And for additional information, see SoCal Water Smart High-Efficiency Toilets webpage.