July 12, 2011 > Water district votes to renew rebates Water district votes to renew rebates By Richard P. Santos On June 14, the Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted to extend the Bay Area Water Utility Clothes Washer Rebate Program through Dec. 31, 2012 and add $1.4 million to fund approximately 16,000 additional rebates. The program, which has been in place since Oct. 2001, has been a successful partnership with PG&E since Jan. 2008. Participation with PG&E allows the district to offer customers a combined rebate using a single application form for both water and energy and has led to an approximately 20 percent increase in customer participation. Since our most recent agreement with PG&E in Jan. 2010, we have funded approximately 43,500 washer rebates with an expected water savings of over 10,232 acre-feet over the lifetime of these machines. That's enough water to serve the needs of more than 20,000 families of five for one year. Because of its high-participation rate and water savings, this program, also known as the Residential High-Efficiency Washer Rebate Program, will help meet the district's long-term water conservation savings goal. While the 2010-11 fall and winter seasons brought much needed rainfall to Santa Clara County, and the community has done extremely well in saving water, it's important that we continue to save water. Because we live in a semi-arid region with a growing population, conservation needs to become our way of life. In addition, about half of the water in the county is imported and continue to be limited due to regulatory restrictions and growing pressure on the state's water delivery system. To ensure that we have a reliable water supply today and in the future, we all need to use our water wisely. Conservation continues to be a priority for the district. To support this ongoing effort, the district will continue to offer water conservation rebate programs and services to county residents and businesses, helping them save water and money. Rebates for home: High-Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebates High-Efficiency Toilet Rebates Landscape Rebates Rebates for businesses: Commercial Washer Rebates Water Efficient Technologies (WET) Program Submeter Rebates Landscape Rebates In addition, the water district also offers several free water conservation devices that can help you save 20 gallons a day: Showerheads Bathroom aerators Kitchen aerators Leak detection dye tablets Toilet flappers Shower timers Water-efficient landscaping and plumbing literature To learn more about our water-saving rebates and programs, please visit www.Save20Gallons.org. As always, I am available for questions or comments as your District 3 representative for the northern areas of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara; Alviso; Milpitas; and the north San Jose and Berryessa communities. Feel free to contact me at (408) 234-7707.