LeakBird

(Jan. 10, 2009, News 8 Austin)

Nothing beats a free ride, or seat, for that matter. That’s because the City of Austin is giving away vouchers for new high efficiency toilets to replace your old wasteful ones.

With a record drought here in Central Texas, water conservation is on everyone’s mind. But how can you make sure you’re not flushing water down the drain?

Dan Strub of Austin Water Conservation said they’re giving away free toilets simply to save water.

“The less water that we use, the less water that we demand, the less water we have to pump around the city … means the less energy used means less green house gases,” he said.

The toilets are high-efficiency toilets that flush at 1.28 gallons, whereas older toilets flush at 2.5-5 gallons per flush. They have also been performance tested by a third party, so they work very well, Strub said.

Those eligible for a free toilet must get their water from the City of Austin and have an old large capacity toilet.

How do you know if you have an old toilet that qualifies? An old toilet will not have a 1.6 GPF painted on it and it will have been installed before 1992.

Having an energy efficient toilet will also save you at least $30 per year. So it’s free money and a free toilet, which means it’s a win-win situation.

Free toilets are being offered at Fiesta – located at 5510 South Interstate 35 until 4 p.m. Saturday. There you’ll receive a voucher where you can redeem your new toilet at any plumbing supply store.

If you don’t want to tackle this offer, they’ll give you a $60 rebate for any installation costs.

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