The City of Aurora has extended the deadline to Friday, Oct. 1, for homeowners to be eligible for a $100 rebate if they install a new, high efficiency toilet featuring the “WaterSense” label.

The City still has funding available and has decided to push back the application cut-off date one month to give residents a chance to cash in on the environmentally-friendly program.  The toilets, which the Environmental Protection Agency estimates saves a family of four more than $90 per year in reduced water utility bills, are available in a wide range of styles and price ranges. 

The rebates are part of Aurora’s Water Saving Toilet Rebate Program and are funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants.  The program offers the rebates to residential property owners that replace older toilets requiring 1.6 gallons or more per flush.  A maximum of 100 units will be eligible for the rebates which are limited to one per city water billing account.

To be eligible, participants in the program must be residential customers, the installation address must be located in the city limits, the toilet must be purchased from an Aurora business, and it must be properly installed.  The rebate program will run until Oct. 1 or until the funds run out.  Toilets purchased before June 1 are not eligible.  Complete details and application forms are on the City’s website at www.aurora-il.org, under the “Quick Links” heading on the homepage.

Ultimately, the goal of the rebate program is to help Aurora residents save money on water utility bills.  It also reduces water production, electrical energy consumption, and associated operating costs while conserving groundwater resources.  When combined with other water conservation measures, the impact of the program may also help to defer or alleviate expensive capital projects needed to increase water supply capacity.