Toilets today are roughly the same as the first flushing toilets invented in the 1800s. This unchanged tech is responsible for up to 85% of the water usage in commercial buildings. A newer technology in the toilet arena marks a genuine commitment to cost and environmental savings.
The average single cistern flushing toilet can use between 9 and 11 litres per flush, while newer dual cistern systems can use less at 6 litres per flush. In a home setting this number is acceptable, but when scaled up to publicly available toilets or toilets in a commercial building – this number becomes a problem. Between the operation cost and the general trend to become more environmentally friendly, this outdated flushing system is due for a re-think.
Propelair toilets are significantly more efficient than standard flushing toilets
A solution
Propelair, a UK-based company, has designed a toilet that reduces the water per flush by 85%. Designed to fit into pre-existing plumbing, the toilets are essentially ‘plug and play’ and do not require special changes to a building’s pipe system. The toilets also work well in ‘off the grid’ scenarios where waste removal is costly and backup systems, such as septic tanks and water storage, are required. In their words, “using 1.35 litres per flush allows back-up tanks to last significantly longer.”Their system works by closing the lid, which ejects 250 ml of water into the pan. Upon flushing, a high-velocity air jet flushes the waste through the pipes. This takes a mere few seconds, which means this new technology has no lag time in comparison to the currently used toilet systems.
Savings in numbers
Their website has a https://propelair.com/propelair-calculator/ that can track projected savings from their system. Replacing a regular toilet with Propelair can save 165240 litres per year, which reduces water consumption by 83% and reduces CO2 emissions by 82%. Propelair has a customer base in the UAE, South Africa, and the UK. In South Africa the KFC lifestyle flagship store is equipped with Propelair, and other South African adopters include Hungry Lion, the Pareto Limited property group, Redefine Properties, Vodacom and PRASA Park Station. Globally, Propelair has saved 1 684 593 340 litres of clean, drinking water which is enough to provide water for 12 million people for a year. Additionally, they have mitigated 694 065 kilograms of carbon emissions, which is the same as removing 1 104 571 cars from the road for a year.
These toilets are designed to fit into existing plumbing networks
