Water Conservation Rebates

Residents of select Neponset Watershed communities can save money and energy, reduce their carbon footprint, and preserve local streams and wetlands with a special rebate program

NOTE: This grant-funded partnership program ended in June 2020, however, your town may still be offering rebates on their own. Please check with your DPW to confirm before making any purchases.

From March 1 through June 1, 2020, residents of Canton, Dedham, Foxborough, Sharon, and Westwood have access to special, grant-funded rebates on water-saving appliances.

  • Rebates of $75-$200 for upgrading to a WaterSense labeled toilet 
  • Rebates of $75-$200 on energy star washing machines with a water factor of 4.0 or less 
  • Free water-efficient showerheads 
  • Free water-efficient faucet aerators 
  • Free irrigation system rain sensor shutoff devices 
  • A limited-time opportunity for multi-family building owners to replace more than two toilets (you must call ahead for pre-approval and subject to funding availability) 

Rebate Terms

Program details are summarized below, but rebate amounts and terms and conditions vary from community to community. Click or call your town for town-specific details.  Rebate programs are managed by each town, not by the Neponset River Watershed Association. 

Canton

Dedham-Westwood Water District (DWWD)

  • Get info on the rebate program at: https://www.dwwd.org/rebate/
    • Customers will receive a credit on their water bill rather than a rebate check.
    • Applications can be submitted digitally through the website.

Foxborough

Sharon

 

Toilet Upgrade Resources

To earn a rebate, toilets must be WaterSense labeled and use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, but you can save even more by installing models readily available at local retailers that provide a powerful flush with as little as 0.8 gallons. 

  • View a list of WaterSense labeled toilets, or just look for the logo at your retailer. 
  • List of MaP Premium rated toilets that use 1.1 gallons or less and are independently tested for exceptional flushing power 
  • Visit MaP for independent, third party testing data on toilet flush power before you buy 
  • Tips on choosing a toilet 
  • Older and leaking toilets are the biggest water user in many homes! 

Clothes Washer Resources

To earn a rebate, clothes washers must have an Energy Star “integrated water factor” of 4.0 or less. Not all Energy Star washers qualify! 

  • “Integrated water factor” is the number of gallons used per cycle for each cubic foot of clothing 
  • Look for water factor ratings as low as 2.7 for maximum savings 
  • Check the water factor of a specific model by searching the Energy Star Model Finder and clicking on “product details” 
  • Download the full list of energy star clothes washers (.csv file) to sort models by water factor. 
  • You may also be eligible for additional rebates through Masssave.org 

FREE Showerheads and Faucet Aerators

High quality water-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators provide a great experience, plus they keep the last person from showering in the cold  

  • Niagara Earth showerheads featuring a 1.5 gallon per minute flow rate, chrome finish, and 9 jet adjustable turbo massage. Highly rated by a leading consumer magazine. 
  • Niagara pressure compensating bubble spray aerator – 1.0 gallon per minute for the bathroom and 1.5 gallon per minute for the kitchen – fits most faucets 
  • Find simple self-installation guides online 

FREE Irrigation System Rain Sensors

Irrigating during a rainstorm not only results in oversaturated plants and turf, it also wastes large quantities of water. Trim some of the waste by making sure irrigation systems are turned off during rainstorms. 

Get a free irrigation system rain shutoff sensor which provides the simplest, most effective way to prevent sprinklers from running during or after any level of rainfall.

  • Easily installed on any automatic irrigation system
  • Stops scheduled irrigation when it detects a pre-set level of rain has fallen
  • Installation is a simple DIY project or something your irrigation contractor can do for you

Visit your water department during regular business hours to take advantage of this offer

Take your savings even farther by investing in a more sophisticated weather-based irrigation system controller. Learn more from the experts at WaterSense. 

Additional Rebates Across the Neponset Watershed

While not all of the Neponset Watershed towns are participating in this grant program, they may still offer rebates. Check with your water department, prior to purchase, for exact terms and conditions. 

About This Project 

This project has been financed partially with State Capital Funds from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (the Department) under a Sustainable Water Management Initiative Grant. 

The Neponset Watershed Association and Dedham Westwood Water District organized the project, wrote the grant, and will administer much of the work on behalf of the participating communities. The project is strictly time-limited and only runs to the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30, 2020. 

The Neponset River Watershed Association is a nonprofit group working toward a healthy Neponset River that is a resource for all our communities.

Learn more about how you can help protect your drinking water and local wildlife.

Less Is More: The Benefits of Upgrading Water-Using Fixtures and Appliances 

Water is a precious resource, and reducing your water use has numerous benefits: 

  • Save Money. The less water you use the lower your water and energy bills will be. Need we say more? But the benefits go on and on 
  • Stop Climate Change. Pumping, heating and treating water in the US consumes the equivalent of about 13% of electricity use. A family of four typically uses 24% of its household energy budget for water heating, and water supply is typically the number one source of municipal electricity consumption in our area. 
  • Prepare for Droughts. Droughts will be more intense in the future. Reducing day to day water demand now allows us to weather future droughts more safely. 
  • Preserve Local Fish and Wildlife. For most area towns, drinking water comes from groundwater sources that also feed local streams, ponds, and wetlands. In the dry summer months, drinking water needs can compete with these natural water flows and the wildlife that depend on them.
  • Avoid the Cost of New Supplies. Most cities and towns with growing populations face extremely high costs to expand their drinking water supply sources. When everyone uses a bit less, we can postpone or avoid those expansion costs and spread the costs of maintaining existing systems across a growing population.