Updated September 28, 2026
What Your Old Toilet Costs You on a Columbus Water Bill
Toilets are the biggest water user in most homes. If yours went in before 1994, it's using two to four times the water a modern toilet does, and Columbus water bills are going up.
Old toilet cost calculator
Compared with a 1.28 gpf WaterSense toilet, at 5.1 flushes per person per day (EPA WaterSense assumption). Assumes all those flushes happen on this one toilet.
The numbers behind it
- Toilets installed before 1980 use about 5 gallons per flush; 1980–1994, about 3.5.
- Federal law has capped new toilets at 1.6 gallons since 1994. WaterSense toilets use 1.28 or less.
- The EPA estimates replacing old toilets with WaterSense models saves the average family nearly 13,000 gallons and more than $170 a year.
Source: EPA WaterSense.
Why it matters more in Columbus
Columbus approved 2026 water and sewer increases that raise a typical three-person household's bill to about $1,199 a year, up $126. The half of Columbus homes built before 1980 are the most likely to still have an original, high-flow toilet (Census Reporter; City of Columbus).
About the $20 default
Dividing that average bill by typical household use gives roughly $20 per 1,000 gallons of water and sewer. That includes fixed monthly charges, so your true savings per gallon can be lower. Your bill lists your actual volume rates; put them in the calculator for your number. Suburbs on Columbus water pay similar or higher rates.
Is your toilet old?
Lift the tank lid and look for a date stamp, or check near the seat hinge for the gallons per flush. Anything above 1.6 gpf is costing you.
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