How Much Water Does a Toilet Use?

It may surprise you to learn that, for the average Canadian household, toilets make up over 30% of the overall water consumption. Part of the reason for this excessive water consumption is that many Canadian toilets are just old. Toilets made between the 1980s and early 90s often use 13.2 liters (3.5 gallons) of water or more per flush. So if you’re in an older home, and you haven’t replaced the toilets since you moved in, there’s a good chance that your toilets are extremely inefficient. Fortunately, green technologies for lowering our impact on the environment have only been improving over the decades. So there are many great options for a new, high efficiency toilet available.

High Efficiency Toilets (HET) are a readily available option that use less than 5 litres (1.3 gallons) per flush. There are over a thousand models of HETs available on the market, so it’s easy to find one that fits your washroom. Modern HETs have greatly improved designs that allow them to use significantly less water with far fewer clogs. For landlords or property managers, there are even rebates available from the City of Calgary if you replace the old toilets with new high efficiency ones in more than 3 suites.

Dual-Flush Toilets are the latest and most efficient toilets available yet. They ideally allow for a normal, full flushes of 5 litres (1.4 gallons) as well as half-flushes which are great for liquid wastes. These toilets have been becoming more popular and are the best environmental decision as they, on average, use less than 4 litres (1.1 gallons) per flush.

Things to Keep in Mind.

There are couple third party certifications and tests that may be important to you. First, WaterSense is label that is used on toilets certified by an independent laboratory. WaterSense test for both efficiency and performance, and you’ll find a wide range of styles and prices with the WaterSense label. Secondly, ecoEnergy is a voluntary qualification system in Canada. It has been adopted by authorities as it helps achieve sustainable water savings and ensures high performance flushing. After all, there’s no point getting a high efficiency toilet, if you need to flush it 3 or 4 times to get the job done.

Part of our goal at Plumbing Paramedics is helping Calgarians to improve their efficiency and reduce both their water bill and their environmental impact. One of the best places to start is with a high efficiency toilet. If you need help choosing the right model that will fit into your washroom, our friendly plumbers can help set you on the right path. Give us a call when you’re ready to take out the old toilet and install the new one! We’ll be right over to help.