Residents of Madison could earn $100 by trading in an old toilet for a newer model through a city water conservation program continuing this year.
The toilet rebate program allows Madison Water Utility customers to earn credit toward water bills when they replace old toilets—ones that use a high amount of water—with more efficient ones. Households are allowed one rebate and businesses are allowed up to 20, with each replaced toilet earning $100 in utility bill credit.
City officials say toilet replacement efforts are part of a continued focus on conservation and sustainability, noting the program has helped annual water use in Madison drop below 10 billion gallons for two years in a row.
MWU says it has $250,000 set aside to fund the program, allowing 2,500 water-guzzling toilets to be replaced with EPA WaterSense-rated High Efficiency Toilet models in 2017.
“Madison Water Utility officials hope the continuation of the Toilet Rebate Program, coupled with the utility’s online water use tracker that gives customers access to their detailed water usage data, will help continue the trend of declining water use in Madison and protect the artesian aquifer that serves the city for generations to come,” Madison Water Utility Public information Officer Amy Barrilleaux said in a press release.
