Camille LeFevre
Low-Flush Toilet
Low-flush toilets have the Watersense label and/or are classified as High Efficiency Toilets (HETs), that use less than 4.8 litres (1.3 gallons) of water per flush.
Federal guidelines in both Canada and the USA specify that new toilets must meet the standard of a maximum of 6L (1.6 gallons) per flush. The US EPA Watersense labeled toilets have a maximum of 4.8 L (1.28 gallons)per flush. They also must flush at minimum 350g of waste per flush. These toilets are also called High Efficiency Toilets (HET). Dual-flush toilets are a good choice too, and often qualify as HETs because their average flush volume meets the requirement.
The Maximum Performace (MaP) Testing Program which was developed in partnership with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corportaion (CMHC) and Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA). The MaP initative tests toilets under realistic conditions and grades them based on overall performance. You can search the grades for different toilets.
A low-flush toilet saves a tremendous amount of water, compared with previous toilets that used 10 to 18 litres (3 to 5 gallons) per flush. Toilets are the single largest water user in a household, accounting for up to 30% of household water use, so installing a more efficient toilet is your best way to reduce your water consumption.
The ancient city of Harrappa, part of the Indus Valley Civilization in what is now India, had an early version of flush toilets in many of the houses, over 4,000 years ago!