Say hello to the Uberhaus 73695049, an unassuming, ceramic, dual-flush marvel that would make John Crapper proud. At Rona Home Centre this 4/6 litres per flush Uberhaus takes a tested and approved 750 gram load and costs $169 before a rebate. The Uberhaus throne of all thrones was the most popular in 2013 with the City of Richmond's toilet rebate program, which offers homeowners of households built prior to October 2012 up to two, $100 rebates for replacing old chamber pots that typically use 12-16 litres per flush. Most Metro Vancouver cities only offer $50 rebates, if anything. Since the program started nearly 4,000 Johnny Houses in Richmond have been blessed with discounted low-flow loos. In 2013 the city handed out 852 such rebates to residents after they submitted a photo of their old toilets and showed proof of installation of the new ones. In 2014 the city plans to hand out up to 1,000 more rebates in an effort to save water as municipal water prices are set to soar.
Metro Vancouver's current water rate per cubic metre is 63 cents and is expected to rise to 84 cents by 2018 putting pressure on the city's $4.4 million "water rate stabilization fund" that helps curb sharp rate increases.
In 2013 Richmond purchased $21 million of water from Metro Vancouver.
According to the city switching to a low-flow toilet can save 70 litres of water per person per day. Toilets account for about 25 per cent of the city's water expenditures, costing the municipality in fees as well as utilities maintenance. Joel Foster, manager of Rona, said the new flushing standards have significantly improved over the years.
"Years ago we would get a lot of complaints that the toilets wouldn't flush properly. People couldn't fathom flushing twice. But nowadays the toilets have vastly improved," said Foster.
"It's one of those things that people find hard to talk about but, hey, everyone uses toilets," said Foster.
Home supply centres and plumbing experts like Foster should know the exact details and which toilets qualify. Check with the city for qualification details.
If a $69 Uberhaus 73695049 doesn't excite you, one may also consider the environmental benefits. Last Thursday, the United Nations marked World Water Day, noting that 768 million people globally don't have an improved source of drinking water and 2.5 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation. In Metro Vancouver summer droughts are common leading to low water levels in the region's watersheds, potentially harming wildlife and putting pressure on agricultural irrigation.
