Utility Installs High-Efficiency Tech In Low-Income Homes

The water utility in Madison, WI, is trying to help low-to-mid income homeowners save money by offering them technology that makes it easier to conserve water.

Madison Water Utility has teamed up with the housing nonprofit Project Home in the first project like this in the state, according to The Wisconsin State Journal.

“Work done to save water and money includes installing high-efficiency toilets, fixing plumbing leaks and installing water saving devices, such as faucet aerators and low-flow shower heads. Projects will take place throughout the year, as low-to-moderate income homeowners are identified and their situations evaluated,” the report said.

The stated aims of the project, per the website:

• Installing high-efficiency toilets (1.28 gallons per flush or less),
• Fixing plumbing leaks (in the U.S., a trillion gallons of drinking water are lost every year because of plumbing leaks);
• Installing water saving devices (faucet aerators and low-flow shower heads can save thousands of gallons of water a year).

The effort comes on the heels of the utility’s successful Toilet Rebate Project, which saved “more than a half billion gallons of water and over $2.6 million in water and sewer charges. Replacing one old toilet with an EPA-rated high efficiency model can conserve 4,000 - 10,000 gallons of water every year and drastically reduce the amount of money and energy needed to pump and distribute water,” according to the project website.

The previous rebate program offered homeowners $100 to install high-efficiency toilets, according to the City of Madison.

Increased use of data and analytics have allowed some utilities to become allies of water conservation. Conservation is often considered a threat to utility revenue.

"The need for more reliable revenue is more important than ever, as water service providers contend with prolonged droughts and aging infrastructure. Unfortunately, this need for revenue can make conservation the unwanted stepchild of water utilities," according to an editorial published by National Geographic.