Amid KS drought, here are the appliances you can replace to get Wichita water rebate

Wichita water customers who replace select appliances with more environmentally friendly models qualify for rebates of up to $100 on their water accounts.

Applications for the city’s water conservation rebate program go live Wednesday on the Save Wichita Water webpage along with details about qualifying appliances.

Those devices include clothes washers, dishwashers, toilets, rain barrels, rain sensor shutoffs and smart irrigation controllers. New in 2023 is a rebate for more efficient showerheads.

“If they’ve made a purchase anytime in 2023 — so it’s retroactive to January 1 — or they’re looking to make a purchase, they need to verify that that specific device is on the list and then they can complete the application, which is really pretty short,” said Penny Feist, strategic service manager for the public works and utilities department.

Only replacements, not new builds, qualify for the program. According to its website, the city approved rebates on 1,084 devices last year.

The program usually launches in April, but Kansas has been under a drought emergency order since October, leading public works and utilities to request rebate money in January.

“As we are all aware, Wichita and Kansas in general is situated in an area of the country that is prone to cyclical drought,” assistant public works and utilities director Don Henry said Tuesday. “We experience drastic swings between wet periods and dry periods, so the situation we find ourselves in is familiar.”

Henry said drought conditions in Wichita are similar to 2011, when the city first introduced its water conservation rebate program.

The Wichita City Council approved $125,000 in rebate funding for residential customers — $25,000 more than in recent years — and an additional $25,000 to be dispersed if any of Wichita’s wholesale water customers implement their own rebate programs.

Wichita water customers can complete their rebate application online or request that an application be mailed to them by calling 316-265-1300.

This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 2:11 PM.