The Sacramento region is expected to experience a dry year, and City Utilities staff are reminding residents of programs that can help them conserve water while saving money.
“We offer a wide variety of rebates to help residents become more efficient with their water use,” said Roshini Das, sustainability manager for the City’s Department of Utilities. “Residents can start with small projects like changing out shower heads and faucet aerators or move on to projects like toilet upgrades, smart irrigation controllers or drip irrigation conversions.”
People can apply for the following water conservation rebates at the City’s residential rebates webpage.
Outdoor Rebates
- Turf conversions
Residents can receive up to $3,000 toward replacing their lawns with low-water-use plants and drought tolerant landscapes. - Irrigation upgrades
A rebate of $400 is available to residents who convert from spray irrigation to drip irrigation systems. Incentives are also offered to replace sprinkler nozzles with high-efficiency rotating nozzles. - Smart controllers
Rebates of up to $400 are available for smart controllers, which automatically turn on sprinklers and adjust watering times based on weather. - Rain barrels
Residents can receive a rebate of up to $150 for rain barrels that store rainwater for later irrigation. - Laundry-to-landscape
A rebate of $100 is available to residents for a system that sends non-potable water from a washing machine to landscapes for irrigation.
Indoor Rebates
- High-efficiency toilets
Residents can receive a rebate of $125 to replace toilets older than 1992 with high-efficiency versions. - High-efficiency washing machines
Rebates of up to $125 are available to residents to replace certain washing machines. - Water fixtures
Residents can save money on indoor water fixtures like showerheads and aerators when purchased from the Sacramento Metropolitan Utilities District.
The Department of Utilities also offers rebate programs to business owners and residents in multi-family homes.
“If you’re unsure where to start, we can help out with a virtual water wise house call,” said Das. “Due to the pandemic, we are using online forms and virtual inspections to make it easier to participate in our programs.”
People can schedule a free virtual “Water Wise” house call by calling the City’s water conservation team at 916-808-5605.