FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Every year, Phoenix-based Rooter 2000 Plumbing & Drain makes an effort to assist a local organization with an immediate plumbing need or challenge. This year, Rooter 2000 President John Smith and his team partnered with Homeward Bound, a transitional housing provider that helps families who are homeless, working poor or who have experienced domestic violence. Homeward Bound owns and operates 155 housing units throughout Arizona’s Maricopa County that help displaced families.
To help Homeward Bound maximize their savings, Smith recommended updating the units’ older plumbing fixtures with new eco-friendly, water saving options from Niagara Conservation, an innovator of residential and commercial high-efficiency products. Having worked with Niagara Conservation in the past, Smith was confident that installing the company’s water- and energy-saving products would help Homeward Bound greatly reduce their monthly utility bills. Niagara worked with Smith to donate all the products needed, providing Homeward Bound with even more savings and ensuring their funds remained dedicated to their important work in the community.
“The best part about Niagara is that I can always count on their high-quality products, I know that when I install Niagara fixtures, I am providing my customers the benefit of careful research and development that has gone into creating functional, attractive, and water-efficient products for both businesses and homes,” Smith noted. “Niagara Conservation is extremely generous in sharing their advanced technology with those who are less fortunate but who can benefit the most from these sustainable fixtures.”
Since Homeward Bound provides housing for multiple families, the organization required a toilet that uses water efficiently to maximize their savings, as toilets account for nearly 30% of indoor water consumption according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Smith turned to Niagara’s Stealth toilet, the first single flush ultra-high-efficiency toilet (UHET) available with the ability to achieve a powerful, quiet flush using just 0.8 gallons of water. In November, Smith and the Rooter 2000 team replaced the older fixtures with the 80 Stealth toilets donated by Niagara Conservation. Also, Smith donated the functioning older toilet units to Habitat for Humanity.
Featured in 80 apartment units owned by Homeward Bound, the technologically advanced engineering inside the Stealth toilet will result in extraordinary water and utility bill savings for the organization. In fact, by using 70% less water per flush than the older style 3.5 gallon toilet, the Stealth toilet can help to save up to 18,000 gallons of water per year, which translates to $120 in savings per year on water usage and $1,013 in its lifetime, depending on the wastewater rate.
To complete the Stealth System and save Homeward Bound up to 40,000 gallons of water a year and up to $600 off their utility bills for each system, Niagara also donated showerheads and aerators for use in the units. Niagara provided the showerheads for the bath, and for the bathroom and kitchen, Niagara supplied its water and energy saving faucet aerators, which reduce utility bills as less hot water used means less water being heated every day.
“We were thrilled to be provided with an opportunity to work with such an important organization and that our donation to Homeward Bound enabled them to utilize more of their budget to create comprehensive social service programs,” stated Carl Wehmeyer, Niagara Conservation’s executive vice president. “The success of Homeward Bound shows the important impact that small changes, such as installing a more efficient toilet, showerhead or faucet aerator, can have on a household’s conservation efforts and monthly utility bills.”