Toilets consume an average of 20.1 gallons of water per person, per day in a home with no water-conserving fixtures, according to the American Waterworks Association. That’s nearly 30 percent of an average home’s daily per-person indoor water use. Upgrading from a 3.5 gpf (gallons per flush) toilet to a 1.6 gpf model will reduce one person’s annual water use from 27,300 gallons to 12, 500 gallons, according to the Federal Energy Management Program.

A: A technology first developed in the 1980’s, the dual-flush toilet takes water-efficiency one step further: using 1.6 gallons for solid waste and only .8 gallons for liquid waste.

A: Reduce water usage up to 30%. Total savings depend, of course, on frequency of use. You’ll also save on sewer costs, because they reduce the load on the waste system.

A: Just the opposite: the dual-flush toilet’s trap is twice the size of a conventional toilet, so blockages are virtually eliminated.

A: They range from approximately $100 to $1000, with the difference in price due primarily to aesthetic design: the more expensive dual-flush toilet is not necessarily more efficient.

A: They’re more effective at expelling waste on lower volumes of water, and have fewer indentations on the bowl, so they’re easier to keep clean – inside and out. Also, because there’s less water in the bowl, there’s less chance of upsplash.

A: A good start to learning more about saving water is at http://www.epa.gov/watersense.