The first step to conserving water and saving money on water and wastewater bills is making sure you have efficient plumbing fixtures.  With toilets accounting for about one-third of indoor water use, replacing older, high water use toilets with high-efficiency models is one of the best ways to save water.

Upgrading to a high-efficiency toilet can reduce your total indoor water use by roughly 16%. That's an annual water savings of 20,000 gallons per year for a family of four! Whether you're looking for ways to save money in your home or business, or are managing a multi-family property, high-efficiency toilets can help achieve significant water savings.

ULFT vs. HET?

It has been more than a decade since Federal laws mandated that the toilet flush volume for models sold in the United States could not exceed 1.6 gallons per flush. These models are called Ultra-Low Flush toilets and they are the highest flow models available on the market today. Prior to this standard, toilets flushed at 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush.

High-Efficiency toilets (HET) are fairly new to the American market but have long been used overseas. The HET flushes at least 20% below the standard model. Many HET’s are dual-flush toilets, which have two separate flush volume options.

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High-Efficiency Toilets

San Francisco single-family and multi-family residents are eligible for cash rebates of up to $125 when they replace their high-flow toilets (3.5 gpf or more) with High-Efficiency Toilet (HET) models that are 1.28 gpf or less.

You are eligible for a rebate if:

• The property where the toilet installed has a SFPUC service address.
• You are a SFPUC residential single-family or multi-family account holder or live in multi-family housing (i.e. townhouse, condominium) and pay your water bill through rental costs or home owner association dues.
• You are replacing a toilet flushing at 3.5 gallons per flush or more.

To Apply
Download the SFPUC Water Conservation toilet rebate application and return the completed application with original receipts to the mailing address listed on the form. An on-site inspection may be required to receive approval.

Funding is limited and rebates are available on a first come, first served basis. Toilets must be installed and rebate applications must be postmarked within 90 days of the purchase date. The SFPUC reserves the right to inspect the installations.

Only SFPUC Water Conservation Program-approved toilets qualify for rebates.  To obtain a current list of qualifying models and their rebate amounts, please review the SFPUC’s program-approved toilet list below.

You can also request a toilet rebate application by contacting the SFPUC Water Conservation Section at (415) 551-4730.