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Room · 3 decisions
Money and rules
Three decisions sit behind every fixture swap: whether to do it now, what your state lets stores sell, and whether your water utility will pay part of it.
Numbers checked 11 November 2026
Replace fixtures now, or wait until they break?Replace toilets made before 1994 and anything that leaks now; swap working post-1994 fixtures when they fail.Depends17,830 gal
Do state fixture rules make you replace anything?California homes built on or before Jan 1, 1994 had a retrofit duty, with exemptions; elsewhere, keep them.Depends1.8 gpm
Is a water utility rebate worth chasing?Check your water utility before you buy: most rebates need a listed model, a deadline or a plumber's invoice.Check first$100
Most of the gallons on this site are decided by the fixture you choose. These three pages are about timing and paperwork: when a swap is worth doing, which rules apply to it, and who might help pay. Each one gives its answer in gallons a year first and dollars second, because water rates differ so much from town to town.
Should you replace fixtures now or wait until they break?
Replace any toilet made before 1994 and anything that leaks now, because a 3.5 gpf toilet uses about 10,640 more gallons a year than a 1.28 gpf model in a 2.6-person home (our arithmetic from EPA's calculator assumptions). A working fixture made after 1994 can usually wait for a failure or a remodel; replace now or when it breaks has the table.
Do state fixture rules make you replace anything?
Mostly not. California, Colorado, Washington, Texas, Georgia and Vermont set limits below the federal ones for products sold or newly built after set dates. California, though, made single-family homes built on or before January 1, 1994 replace toilets over 1.6 gpf, showerheads over 2.5 gpm and faucets over 2.2 gpm by January 1, 2017 (2019 for multifamily), with a few exemptions, Georgia counts a broken-fixture replacement as construction, and some cities add rules at sale or remodel; state fixture rules lists every limit and date.
Is a water utility rebate worth chasing?
Check before you buy, because rebates often name a stricter model than the WaterSense label, such as Denver Water's 0.8 gpf toilet rule, and some need a plumber's install or a deadline. On 11 Nov 2026 the programs on water utility rebates ranged from $40 for a hose timer to $5,000 for rainwater storage.
| Decision | Example | Typical gallons a year | Dollars a year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replace now or when it breaks | 3.5 gpf toilet swapped for 1.28 gpf | 10,640 | $64 | our arithmetic, EPA inputs |
| Replace now or when it breaks | working 1.6 gpf toilet swapped for 1.28 gpf | 1,530 | $9 | our arithmetic, EPA inputs |
| State fixture rules | one person, 8-minute daily shower, 2.5 gpm head vs California's 1.8 | 2,040 | $12 | our arithmetic, CEC limit |
| Utility rebates | 1.6 gpf toilet swapped for a 1.1 gpf rebate model | 2,400 | $15 | our arithmetic, EPA inputs |
| Whole-home retrofit | WaterSense fixtures and ENERGY STAR appliances | not given | more than $380 | EPA Statistics and Facts |
Source under the table: EPA WaterSense calculator notes. Except where the source column names another figure, this is our arithmetic from EPA's household inputs (2.6 people, 5.05 flushes each a day, $6.06 per 1,000 gallons); dollars are water and sewer only.
The last row is EPA's own estimate and includes energy as well as water. EPA also says the average family spends more than $1,000 a year on water (Statistics and Facts, updated March 11, 2026), so a retrofit can be a large share of the bill. To turn any gallons figure into your own dollars, divide by 1,000 and multiply by the rate per 1,000 gallons on your bill; how we decide walks through it.
How we reached this
The toilet and shower rows are our multiplication, checked on 11 Nov 2026 against EPA's calculator page and the California Energy Commission's 2015 adopted limits. The shower row assumes the head runs at its full rated flow, which real pressure may not give. EPA's $6.06 rate is its calculator assumption, not a national average bill. No fixture prices are used anywhere in this room.
Sources
- EPA WaterSense — How the WaterSense Calculator Works · household inputs and toilet ages · checked 11 Nov 2026
- EPA WaterSense — Statistics and Facts · family water spend and retrofit savings · checked 11 Nov 2026
- California Energy Commission — Toilet, Urinal, Faucet and Showerhead Regulations 2015 · 1.8 gpm showerhead limit · checked 11 Nov 2026
- Denver Water — Toilet rebates · 0.8 gpf rebate rule · checked 11 Nov 2026
- City of Austin — Austin Water Rebates, Tools & Programs · rebate range · checked 11 Nov 2026