West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) concluded its water-energy partnership with Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) in spring after providing free water conservation and energy-efficient device installations to 199 income-eligible homes in the West Basin service area.
The partnership, focusing on water conservation and energy efficiency upgrades for 100 income-eligible families, reached 199 homes and saved 8 acre-feet (AF) of water -- or 2.6 million gallons – during the 18-month long program that began in September 2022.
West Basin played an integral role in its marketing and outreach efforts that identified eligible households, setting the stage for the installations.
SoCalGas then used its existing vendors to install devices including high- and premium-efficiency toilets that limit the amount of water per flush, weather-based irrigation and smart hose bib irrigation controllers to help achieve water-efficient irrigation scheduling, low-flow kitchen and bath faucet aerators that reduce water flow without compromising performance, and low-pressure showerheads to help maximize water conservation.
The partnership, funded by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Member Agency Administered Program, allowed for the install of 255 toilets, 159 showerheads, 82 aerators, 68 smart hose bib irrigation controllers, and 54 smart weather-based irrigation controllers, saving customers nearly $140,000.
Projected over a lifetime, the water-efficient devices installed in these homes would save 108 AF of water, equivalent to saving 31.7 million gallons.