Modern water-saving toilets have replaced our trusty old regular toilets with better technology and more modern conveniences and features, but are these water-saving toilets worth it?
Water-saving or low-flow toilets save water by using less water per flush than regular toilets. By upgrading or replacing your old toilet, you can save $140.00 per year or 13,000 gallons of water per toilet.
In this article, I discuss whether or not water-saving toilets are worth it. Do they really do save you money in the long run? We will find out if a smart toilet is more cost-effective and if it can replace your old throne! Then I’ll share my top picks for water-saving toilets.
Are Water-Saving Toilets Worth It?
If we are talking about whether or not the toilet will put cash into your pocket, then yes, water-saving toilets will save you money on your utilities. They are a worth-while investment to your home.
New technology has improved upon the regular old toilet we know so well, replacing our old-fashioned water guzzlers with low-flow, high-efficiency, water-saving, sleek toilets.
New vs Old Toilet Technology
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all toilets account for 30% of all water usage in American homes, with older toilets using an incredible 6 gallons per flush (GPF)!
Newer technology means that water-efficient toilets use only 1.28 GPF or less. Moreover, this means a saving in your pocket of around $140 per year, or $2,900 over the lifetime of a single toilet. Double the savings per toilet in your household! (source)
Get a Rebate
Installing a water-saving toilet in your home could mean that you can claim a rebate on your utility bill. Check with your local council office for further details. A great incentive and another great way to keep your cash back in your pocket!
Retrofit
A more budget-friendly option is to keep your existing toilet, especially if it is still in good working condition, and simply retrofit it by adding a tank insert. As a result, this option can reduce your water usage by a good 0.5 to 1 gallon per flush!
How Much Does A Single Toilet Flush Cost?
Replacing your old regular toilet with an updated low-flush toilet could save you money as soon as you install it. Comparatively, water-saving toilets use much less water per flush than regular toilets.
Let’s do the math and see how much you could save over a year by installing a water-saving toilet.
Regular toilets will cost you 2.8 cents per flush if your toilet uses 3.5 GPF, contrarily, older water-saving toilets will cost 1.3 cents per flush using 1.6 GPF. (source)
We can use this consumption to calculate how much the different toilets would cost you per year per person in your household based on the average of 5 flushes per day per person.
| COST PER FLUSH | FLUSHES PER DAY | COST PER DAY PER PERSON | COST PER YEAR PER PERSON | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR TOILET | 2.8 cents | 5 | 14 cents | $51.10 |
| WATER-SAVING TOILET | 1.3 cents | 5 | 6.5 cents | $23.72 |
From this quick calculation, we can see that a water-saving toilet will drastically reduce your toilet water bill by half! If you have multiple people using the toilet, your savings is compounded.
And note: The chart, as shown above,d is based on a water-saving toilet that gets 1.6 GPF. However, if you get a brand new water-saving toilet you will get 1.28 GPF. This means that you will save even more on your annual water bill.
Around 22 gallons of water are wasted every day in many homes due to water leaks from faulty faucets, toilets, washing machines, and plumbing. As a result, it costs you, on average, around $80 per year.
Regular household maintenance is an essential requirement to keep costs down while saving water that would otherwise be flushed down the drain! (Source)
Are Water-Saving Toilets Expensive?
Replacing your old toilet with a modern water-saving toilet could be expensive, depending on the type of toilet you are looking for and the accessories and features that come with it.
Use this amazing cost calculator from RemodelingExpense.com to calculate the price of material + installation of a low-flow toilet for your zip code.
If you don’t need a heated seat or other bells and whistles, you can find a WaterSense labeled water-saving toilet starting at around $120.00 per unit, excluding installation.
What About the Installation Costs?
If you’re an accomplished handyman, installing a new water-saving toilet should be an easy 2-hour job. Removing your regular old toilet and replacing it with a new water-saving toilet in the existing space is fairly straightforward.
The US national average cost of installing a toilet is around $372.00, with the average prices ranging between $224.00 – $531.00. (Source)
Of course, this wall doesn’t include any remodeling of your bathroom. To cut down on costs, always measure the available space before buying your toilet. It’s important to buy a toilet that fits the space.
Always install the new toilet against the same plumbing wall as the previous toilet.
Finally, if you’re installing a wall-mounted toilet, check that the existing wall is strong enough to hold the unit. If not, you might have to upgrade the wall at additional costs.
What About Smart Toilets?
High-end smart toilets sell from around $1,000.00, excluding installation costs.
Smart toilets save water as they sense how much water is needed per flush and use the right amount to clean the toilet bowl.
The downside is that they need power, either in the form of electricity or batteries, to operate the features like touch free-toilet seats and flushing!
Read my post, Why Buying a Smart Toilet is a Smart Move & Top Picks for more reasons on why a smart toilet is a great option for your bathroom
How Much Water Can You Save With a Water-Saving Toilet?
According to the EPA, replacing your old regular toilet with a new water-saving toilet could reduce your household water usage by 20% to 60%. That is 13,000 gallons of water per year per toilet!
Modern water-saving toilets must comply with strict EPA standards and should all have the WaterSense label as an endorsement. If your new toilet does not have this label, it’s not a valid water-saving toilet.
Try this WaterSense calculator to figure out how much water (and money!) you’ll save by buying bathroom appliances with the WaterSense label.
While most of us would welcome a few extra dollars every month. A water-saving toilet has so many more incredible benefits not only for your household but also for the environment.
The Benefits of a Water-Saving Toilet
While water-saving toilets are more expensive than regular toilets initially, the long-term costs are better for your pocket and the environment!
A water-saving toilet will save you money and prevent excessive water use. Regular toilets have one setting – a full flush. They are designed to use the same amount of water to remove waste from the bowl.
Water-saving toilets offer a dual-flush option, using half the flush for liquid waste and a double flush for solid waste. This prevents unnecessary bowl cleaning and water wastage.
Regular toilet bowls contain between 5 and 7 gallons of water. Modern water-saving toilets hold about 1.28 – 1.6 gallons. Given that, simply by upgrading to a water-saving toilet, you could cut down on your household water costs!
A great option for a water-saving toilet is a tankless toilet. Read my post, Will You Go Tankless: Toilet Pros and Cons to learn more about tankless toilets and how they can save you water.
Regular Toilets vs. Water-Saving Toilets
Water-saving toilets are more sustainable and eco-friendly than regular toilets. Water-saving toilets, or low-flow or low flush toilets, are designed to use less water to remove the contents of the bowl than regular toilets.
This table provides a quick overview of the two different toilet models:
| REGULAR TOILET | WATER-SAVING TOILET | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Lower initial costs per unit but higher long term cost $100.00 – $200.00 per unit | Higher initial costs per unit but lower long term costs $120.00 – $13 000.00 per unit |
| Installation cost | $120.00 – $230.00 basic labor costs excluding remodeling costs | $200.00 – $350.00 basic installation excluding remodeling costs |
| Gallons per flush | 6.0 per flush | 1.28 or less per flush |
| Long term savings – water | None | 13 000 gallons annually per toilet |
| Long term savings – financial | None | $140 per year per toilet |
| Retrofitting existing toilet | Dual Flush Valve $28.50 available from Amazon | Not needed |
Top 3 Water Saving Toilets
These are my favorite water-saving toilets:
1. My Favorite Water Saving Toilet – EPLO Smart Toilet
The EPLO Smart Toilet is a modern, sleek, stylish smart toilet with built-in innovative dual-flush technology.
With either a full flush or a half flush on startup, using only 1.6 GPF or 1.1 GPF, this toilet will save you water by only using what is necessary to clean the bowl!
Aesthetically, because of its size at only 27.2 x 16.1 x 19 inches, and style, this ultra-thin ceramic toilet is suitable for most bathrooms and has the following standard features:
- A built-in bidet provides warm water through an arc-shaped self-cleaning nozzle and a warm air dryer with 6 different temperature settings for personal convenience
- A tankless electric ceramic toilet
- A built-in LCD screen reflecting the seat and water temperatures
- A hands-free flushing operation using a wireless remote control device or a foot sensing button
- An air purification unit adsorbs odors and converts harmful odors into oxygen articles, providing a fresh bathroom!
My article Why Buying a Smart Toilet is a Smart Move & Top Picks provides an in-depth look at why smart toilets like this one are the intelligent choice for your bathroom.
2. The Sleek Dual Flush Toilet – DeerValley DV-1F026
The DeerValley DV-1F026 dual flush toilet is a sleek and stylish, floor-mounted ceramic toilet, perfect for any modern home.
This one-piece design is only available in white, making it easier to maintain than a two-piece design. With the soft close seat and super-quiet flush of the DeerValley, this toilet is super easy to clean and maintain.
The dual flush system saves water by using only 0.8 or 1.28 GPF. This is a saving of up to 16 500 gallons per year compared to a regular toilet. The sleek design of this toilet makes it clog-proof and leak-proof.
The fully glazed, powerful flush action is super quiet, allowing for discreet use at any time of the day or night.
A supply line inlet hose is provided for easy connection to the supply line and toilet.
Finally, the toilet has a defect warranty for 12 months from the date of purchase and a one-year limited warranty on the soft-closing toilet lid and flushing mechanism.
3. The Best Low-Flow Toilet – TOTO Vespin II 1G
The TOTO Vespin II 1G toilet is a two-piece, low-flow, high-quality toilet with a skirted design to hide the trapway allowing for easier cleaning.
It sports the ultra-powerful “Tornado Flush” system, using only 1.28 GPF. This system propels water into the bowl from jets located around the bowl’s rim. The force of the water cleans the bowl and removes all debris, using less water.
The eco-friendly TOTO Vespin has a Cefiontect ceramic glaze designed to keep the bowl cleaner for longer. Consequently, this prevents debris and mold from sticking to the surfaces, using less water for cleaning.
TOTO offers a one-year limited warranty on this unit.
Can a Bidet Attachment Help You Save Money?
A bidet uses a water spray to clean your tushy and has some fantastic health benefits. Read all about the wonders of a bidet in my post Is a Bidet Worth it? Yes and Here’s Why!
Although a bidet might not save you money on water expenses, it will contribute to your cost savings by doing away with the need to buy toilet paper.
Toilet Paper History has this to say about our toilet paper usage:
“Currently, the United States spends more than $6 billion a year on toilet tissue—more than any other nation in the world. Americans, on average, use 57 squares a day and 50 lbs. a year.”
WOW! That is a ton of toilet paper! Luckily, there is a solution to using toilet paper, and it can simply attach to your existing toilet:
The Tushy Spa Bidet Toilet Seat bidet attachment is a self-cleaning water sprayer available from Amazon.
So, Is a Water Saving Toilet Worth It?
Replacing an old toilet with a new one is not a hard decision to make.
Although installing a new WaterSense toilet might cost a bit more as you may need to call in a contractor, the math states that you will recoup your costs in 2 years.
By simply upgrading your old-outdated water-guzzling toilet, you can contribute to saving water and the environment.
For more product picks, read my post on the 9 Best Water-Saving Toilets of the Year.
Note: If you’re about to embark on a bathroom remodel, fill out the form below. I’ll send you designer hacks that can literally save you thousands of dollars on your project.
Tags: are water saving toilets worth it, bidet, how much water can you save with water-saving toilet, regular toilet vs water-saving toilet, top 3 water-saving toilets, water saving toilet