Folsom city report reveals the most popular water rebate programs among residents

A report conducted by the city of Folsom revealed the city’s most popular water rebate programs among residents in 2022.

The most popular program is the installation of the Flume flow monitor, according to city data. The second most popular, with nearly half of the amount of installations, is the Rachio smart irrigation controller.

Last week, the Regional Water Authority, a joint representative of two dozen water providers in the Sacramento region, hosted an event at Republix Insurance with city and state officials maintaining that Folsom may be the key to managing the uncertainties of future climate conditions in the American River Basin. The event highlighted programs in which businesses can participate to encourage water conservation.

However, Folsom residents can participate in their own particular programs, according to Marcus Yasutake, the city’s environmental and water resources director. Yasutake said he must clarify between “customer” and “household,” because there are some instances where a household will participate in more than one rebate program, such as cash for grass as well as a toilet rebate program.

Prior to 2022, the most popular rebate program was the high efficiency toilet, according to Yasutake. It was in 2022 that the Rachio and Flume purchase programs became more popular.

“I believe these two programs are more popular for two reasons: These are easier to physically install compared to the other programs,” Yasutake said. “There is no plumbing involved, no construction involved, and the parts and pieces are very light.”

Contrarily, Yasutake said he has heard from the city’s water management coordinator, Don Smith, and his team about why the cash for grass and irrigation efficiency upgrades are the least popular.

“Cash for grass and irrigation efficiency upgrades usually require a contractor to perform the work which increases the customer’s cost for the program, whereas, Rachio and FLUME are less expensive,” Yasutake said. “They require more technical knowledge since we don’t cover the cost of labor and people hesitate to do the work themselves.”

For more information on water rebate programs, contact the city of Folsom Water Conservation Division at 916-461-6177 or at waterconservation@folsom.ca.us.

This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 2:34 PM.