Selection of Eligible Toilets

York Region has adopted stringent guidelines for water efficiency and waste removal for determining which toilets should be included in the Water for Tomorrow water efficient toilet rebate program for single family residences, multi-unit residences and Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) facilities in York Region.

In deciding which guidelines to adopt, York Region reviewed four of the most popular and widely-used voluntary guidelines in North America:

• Maximum Performance (MaP) Testing of Popular Toilet Models
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Requirement for Ultra-Low-Flush-Toilets, Supplementary Purchase Specification to ASME (LADWP SPS)
• Uniform North American Requirements (UNAR) for Toilet Fixtures
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Labelled Toilets

York Region evaluated these guidelines for how stringent the requirements were for toilet performance against two key criteria:

1. Water usage

2. Waste removal

Water Usage

Most of the guidelines set some type of standard for the maximum amount of water needed per flush.

• The MaP guidelines focus on the toilet's clearance performance and do not set a threshold amount of water per flush.
• The LADWP guidelines focus on ensuring the sustainability of a toilet's water savings by testing toilet flapper durability. The guidelines do not set a threshold amount of water per flush that a toilet must stay under.
• The UNAR guidelines designate two tiers of performance common to single flush and dual-flush toilets: a UNAR rating, and a UNAR High Efficient Toilet (HET) rating:
  • A UNAR rating is awarded to toilets with an effective* flush volume less than or equal to 6 litres (1.6 gal).
  • A UNAR HET rating is awarded to toilets with an effective* flush volume less than or equal to 4.8 litres (1.28 gal).
• The WaterSense® guidelines recognize only one tier of performance. This measurement is different between single flush and dual flush toilets:
  • Single flush toilets must have a flush volume less than or equal to 4.8 litres (1.28 gal).
  • Dual flush toilets must have:
    • A full flush volume of less than or equal to 6 litres (1.6 gal); and
    • A reduced flush volume of less than or equal to 4.1 litres (1.1 gal).

* For a single-flush toilet, the effective flush volume is equal to the amount of water used per flush. For a dual-flush toilet, the effective flush volume is the average of two reduced flushes and one full flush.

The ability of a toilet to remove waste is determined through the soybean paste test - the toilet's ability to clear a soybean paste sample of a defined size.

The MaP guidelines require that toilets clear a minimum of 250 grams of soybean paste.

The LADWP SPS guidelines do not include a minimum requirement for waste removal.

The UNAR and WaterSense^® guidelines require that toilets clear a minimum of 350 grams of soybean paste.

York Region's Toilet Performance Guidelines

York Region has selected the WaterSense^® guidelines for use in York Region's Water for Tomorrow toilet rebate program for single family residences, multi-unit residences and Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) facilities. The WaterSense^® guidelines are the most stringent in their water efficiency requirements as well as waste removal requirements. This will ensure Water for Tomorrow is providing rebates for the most proven water-saving toilets on the market without sacrificing customer satisfaction.