It has been yet another wet and rainy June in Calgary. We have all been impacted by the amount of water Mother Nature has thrown our way this past month. For Southern Alberta, too much water is not a typical problem. Our semi-arid climate can leave us prone to droughts as we experience several years ago. Finding ways to preserve the ground water and implementing methods to minimize water usage in the province is a hot topic. The City of Calgary is proactive in encouraging water users to reduce consumption.

A huge water waster is hiding in every residence. The average toilet can waste thousands of litres of water a year. With water and sewer costs metered in condo buildings, this can cost you and your condo corporation thousands of dollars a year as well. Toilets account for an average of 30% of the total water usage for a residence. Conventional models can consume up to 18 litres per flush, as compared to 6 litres for the new low flush models. That’s over 66% savings in water and cost per flush!

The City of Calgary offers a $50 rebate for every conventional toilet replaced with a low flush model. Some modes cost as little as $150 and each will save you up to $100 in water cost the first year alone. Each year thereafter you are saving not only water but money, too. Dual flush models will save you even more money and water, and are included in the rebate. For more information call 311 or visit www.calgary.ca/waterservices.

Although this is an excellent way for individuals to do their part, imagine if an entire condominium building embraced the rebate program. As most condo buildings have only one water meter, the corporation pays the water and sewer cost from the condo fees collected. A large building can have water and sewer annual bills of $45,000. If 30% of that water usage is from toilets ($13,500) and installing low flush toilets in the building would save 66%, the corporation could reduce it’s budget by nearly $9000 a year and collect the $50 rebate per conventional toilet replaced.

This is another example of an idea making green sense, and dollars and cents, too!