Residential Resources
Find your rebates and watering guidelines
Are you water smart?
Find out more ways your family can save
water inside and outside the home.
How is Water Used Inside Your Home?
In the Sacramento region, about 45 percent of a household’s water use is indoors—most of that in the bathroom. Toilets alone account for more than a quarter of a household’s water use, followed by clothes washers (22 percent of indoor water use), showers (17 percent), faucets (16 percent) and leaks (14 percent)
Top Ways to Save at Home
Here are some tips for conserving water at home to preserve our lakes and river and to stretch out water supplies for people and the environment.
Why should I replace my clothes washer?
Clothes washers account for about 20% of all indoor water use. How many loads do you do a year? The average family does 300 loads of laundry. That’s about 12,000 gallons a year! If you wash clothes in hot or warm water, you are also using additional energy. Participating water providers are offering rebates from $50 to $125 to residential customers who purchase and install a new, qualifying high-efficiency clothes washer. More money may also be available from your energy provider. We recommend purchasing an ENERGYSTAR certified clothes washer. ENERGYSTAR clothes washers use 20% less energy and 35% less water than less efficient models. If you want to save the most energy, look for the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient models. Now you can save water, energy and money, and get cash back as well.
Why should I replace my toilet?
Toilets account for more than 25% of all indoor water use. Toilets manufactured before 1992 use 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush (gpf) or between 17,000 and 34,000 gallons per year. By replacing your 3.5 gpf or greater toilet with a 1.28 gpf High Efficiency Toilet (HET) toilet, a family can save approximately 17,000 gallons per year. We recommend purchasing a WaterSense toilet. WaterSense toilets are third party tested to ensure performance while saving water. Customers of participating water providers are eligible to receive up to $175 rebate for replacing a 3.5 gallon per flush (gpf) or greater toilet with a new High Efficiency Toilet (HET) which flushes 1.28 gpf or less. Rebate levels depend on the water provider and funding available.
Top Topics
Greywater
Greywater
Graywater is water from washing machines, showers, bath tubs, and bathroom sinks. It is water that contains some soap but is clean enough to water plants.
RWA Graywater Information
Elk Grove Rain Garden
San Francisco Graywater Design Manual
Laundry to Landscape Graywater – video
Greywater-Compatible Cleaning Products
Graywater code
Gardening
Gardening
Create a beautiful stress-free Sacramento-area landscape year round.
Eco Landscaping
Eco Landscaping
The site provides residents and landscape professionals with turn-key landscape and irrigation plans and tools for creating a beautiful, eco-friendly landscape, including four distinct landscape plans: Recreation Destination; Right as Rain; Neat and Petite; and Wholesome Habitat.
Eco-Friendly Landscape Design Plans for the New California Landscape
Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper
Turf
Turf
Ready to replace your lawn? Here are some resources.
Lawn options
Tired of Your Thirsty Turfgrass?
Rethink Your Yard
Handout: Tired of Your Thirsty Turfgrass?
Turfgrass Alternatives
Sprinklers
Sprinklers
Calculate run time minutes per week for your sprinkler zones based on current weather and rainfall.
Sacramento Region Smart Irrigation Scheduler
Sprinkler Tune Up
Sprinkler Check Up
Sprinkler Repairs
Sprinkler Tool Box
Sprinkler Symptom Solver
Trees
Trees
How to Cultivate Healthy Trees
Tips for Watering Trees
Tips for Tree Care During Drought
Caring for Trees in a Drought
Caring for Trees in a Drought – Spanish
Water Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Increase your water efficiency knowledge.
Save Our Water
Alliance for Water Efficiency
Home Water Works
U.S. EPA’s WaterSense
Recycled Water Fill Station
Bee Gardening
Bee Gardening
Learn more about creating landscapes that bees will love.
UC Davis Bee Haven
Bee gardening resources
Does Your Garden Have Maximum BPG?(Bees Per Gallon)?
Recommended Low-Water Bee Plants for Northern California
The Bee Gardener
Landscapers & Contractors
Landscapers & Contractors
Need professional help with transforming your landscape?
Rescape Qualified Professional
Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper
Sprinkler Smarts
Explore a range of helpful tools and resources designed to keep your sprinkler system running efficiently. From scheduling and troubleshooting to repairs and tune-ups, these guides make it easy to manage your irrigation system year-round. Whether you’re creating a personalized tool box or solving sprinkler problems, you’ll find practical solutions tailored for the Sacramento region.
Sacramento Region Smart Irrigation Scheduler
Sprinkler Symptom Solver
Create a Sprinkler Tool Box
Sprinkler Repairs
Sprinkler Check Up
Sprinkler Tune Up
Plant Databases and Landscape Design
Water-wise gardening in the Gold County Region Create your wish list of low water-use plants! This comprehensive database includes 1,800 plants classified by plant type, botanical name, common name and water use. It includes garden tours for design ideas, a garden gallery to search for water efficient plants that meet your needs, water conservation tips, and much more.
Water-wise gardening in the Gold County Region
Roseville WaterSmart Plant List
Homegrown Habitat Plant List
Eco-Friendly Landscape Designs for the New California Landscape
