Free water saving devices, fixtures, and repair programs
Most advice about using less water assumes you have money to spend on new fixtures. Many households do not, and they are the ones who need a lower bill the most.
Many programs give water saving items away or install them at no charge. Water companies mail free kits to their customers. Government weatherization crews put in new showerheads while they work on a home. Some cities replace old toilets for free when a household's income qualifies, and some will even fix a leak.
This is a guide that covers free programs, who runs them, what they typically give out, and what to ask for when you call. Renters are included here too, since most of these items can be added to a rental, and the larger programs accept tenants when the landlord agrees.
Free conservation kits from your water company
Start with the company that sends your water bill. Water providers across the country hand out free conservation kits to their own customers, because every gallon a customer does not use is a gallon the company does not have to treat and pump.
A typical kit contains a high efficiency showerhead, small aerators for the bathroom and kitchen faucets you already have, dye tablets that reveal whether a toilet is leaking, and sometimes a shut off nozzle for a garden hose or a timer for the shower. Some kits also include a new flapper or a small device for the toilet tank that lowers the amount of water used in each flush.
Ask by calling the number on your water bill or by looking for a conservation page on the company's website. Most kits are free to any customer with no income test, and the usual limit is one kit per address while supplies last. Some companies mail the kit, and others ask you to pick it up at their office.
Your gas or electric company may give these out too
Water saving items do not only come from water companies. Gas and electric utilities pay for a large share of the free showerheads and faucet aerators given out in this country, because heating water takes energy, so a fixture that uses less hot water saves electricity or gas as well.
If your energy company runs an efficiency program, call and ask whether free devices are part of it. The items sometimes arrive with insulation for the hot water pipes, which lowers the heating portion of your bills at the same time. To find options in your state and from your utility provider, see the utility company assistance programs by state page.
Free installation for households whose income qualifies
The programs above hand you items to install yourself. A second group of programs sends someone to do the work, and these are generally reserved for households whose income qualifies.
Some water providers and cities replace old toilets at no cost, covering the new toilet, the installation, and the removal of the old one. These programs usually target toilets made before the mid 1990s, which use several times as much water in every flush as a new model does. Many of them operate through a partner, often a non-profit home repair organization or a community group, so you may apply through the water company and then hear back from a different organization.
Renters can often take part when the property owner signs a consent form, and some programs serve mobile home communities and apartment buildings as well as houses. A few also install smart controllers for lawn sprinkler systems at no cost. To find out whether anything like this operates in your area, call your water company and ask whether they have a direct install program or free fixture replacement for customers with lower incomes.
Weatherization and community action agencies
The federal Weatherization Assistance Program sends trained crews into the homes of income qualified families to lower their energy costs, and installing a low flow showerhead is one of the standard measures those crews perform. The work is free, homeowners and renters can both apply, and a renter needs the landlord's permission. The program is explained in the NHPB guide to how the Weatherization Assistance Program lowers your utility bills for good.
Weatherization is usually delivered by the local community action agency, and those agencies often run home repair and conservation programs of their own as well. Find the office that serves your county through the community action agencies page.
Free and discounted rain barrels
A rain barrel connects to a downspout and stores the rain that falls on the roof. That stored water can then take care of a garden, a lawn, or outdoor cleaning without using metered water.
Cities and water districts give rain barrels away or sell them at a reduced price, usually through sign up events held once or twice a year, most often in the spring. The programs are commonly run by the water department, the stormwater office, or the city's environmental division, because keeping rain out of the sewers during storms matters to them as much as conservation does.
Call your city or water provider and ask when the next rain barrel event is scheduled, since the barrels are usually claimed quickly. A few states have rules about collecting rainwater, so if you live in a dry western state, ask the program about any limits before you set one up.
Free help fixing a leak
A leak deserves attention as well. A toilet that runs constantly wastes more water than a free showerhead will ever save, and a hidden drip raises the bill month after month. The dye tablets included in most free kits will tell you whether a toilet is leaking, and your water company can often tell from the meter whether water is moving while everything in the house is turned off.
If you cannot afford the repair, there is help. Some water utilities and cities run minor plumbing repair programs that fix leaks at no cost for customers with lower incomes, and a few pair the repair with free fixture replacement. Community action agencies and non-profit home repair organizations do this kind of work too, and some give priority to a household whose only toilet no longer works. Call your water company first and ask whether they offer leak repair assistance or a minor plumbing repair program, then try the community action agency if the answer is no. We also have other information on the topic as well - see the guide to free home repairs.
Once a leak is repaired, ask the water company about a leak adjustment. Many providers will credit back part of the extra charges the leak caused, but almost none of them do it automatically. You need to request the adjustment, show proof of the repair, and meet a deadline. A plumber's invoice works as proof, and if you fixed the leak yourself, receipts for the parts usually count. Most companies allow one adjustment in a twelve month period, and the credit is normally partial rather than the full amount, but on a large leak it can still remove a real part of the bill.
How to tell a real free program from a sales pitch
The real programs on this page work the same way: you contact them, and nothing about them costs you money.
Be careful with anyone who shows up at your door or calls you claiming to be from the water company and offering free devices, free testing, or an inspection. That approach is a common opening for people selling water filtration systems or charging for services the real utility provides at no cost. If someone contacts you first, end the conversation, then call the number printed on your actual water bill and ask whether the offer is real. A genuine free kit or free installation program will never ask for a bank account number, a card number, or a fee.
Where to start if you are not sure who to call
Make your water company the first call, since they run or fund most of the programs described here. If the water company has nothing to offer, dial 211 or search the 211 directory at https://www.211.org/, which connects people to local programs of every kind, including utility conservation and home repair help. The EPA's WaterSense rebate finder at https://www.epa.gov/watersense/rebate-finder shows what water providers in each state offer, and while most listings are rebates on purchases, free device and conservation service programs appear there as well.
If you reach the point of buying a fixture instead of receiving one, the NHPB guide to the WaterSense program explains the label to look for and how rebates repay part of the cost. Everyday habits that lower usage without any equipment are collected in the NHPB guide to how to save money on water bills.
And if the bill itself is past due, the NHPB guide to water bill assistance programs lists the charities and government programs that help, while the NHPB guide to water bill payment plans and hardship programs covers what the water company itself can do.
Every program described on this page is run locally, and offerings, funding, and rules differ from one provider to the next and change over time. Confirm details directly with your water company, community action agency, or city before applying.
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