Funny you mention the avocado tub—my neighbor’s got one too, and she treats it like an heirloom. I get the nostalgia, but man, those old fixtures are water hogs. Ever tried convincing someone to swap out an original ‘70s toilet? It’s a battle every time. Wonder if folks would budge more if the city sweetened the deal or made it super easy to upgrade... What’s the wildest “vintage” thing you’ve run into that people refused to part with?
Ever tried convincing someone to swap out an original ‘70s toilet? It’s a battle every time.
You’re not kidding. My aunt still has her “harvest gold” fridge from 1974, and she swears it keeps things colder than anything new. I tried to talk her into an energy-efficient model—no dice. I think if the city literally rolled up with a new one and hauled the old beast away, she might consider it... but only maybe. Some folks just love their vintage stuff, quirks and all.
Some folks just love their vintage stuff, quirks and all.
That’s my dad to a T. He’s convinced his avocado green dishwasher is “built to last” and refuses to even look at the water usage sticker on the new ones. I get the nostalgia, but when I moved into my own place, I started crunching numbers—those old appliances are water (and energy) hogs.
If the city actually paid people to use less water, I bet even the most stubborn folks would start eyeing those rebates. Money talks. My neighbor swapped out her ancient toilet for one of those dual-flush models after she saw her water bill drop by like $15 a month. She misses the “whoosh” of the old one but not enough to go back.
I’m all for keeping cool retro stuff if it works and doesn’t cost a fortune to run, but sometimes it’s just not worth it. Guess it depends how attached you are... or how much you like saving cash.
TITLE: City Water Rebates Would Change the Game
Funny, I’ve seen this play out with some of my clients—people get attached to old fixtures, but when you show them the numbers, it’s hard to argue. I remember one project where we swapped out a whole building’s worth of 70s-era toilets. The water savings were immediate, but what really got folks on board was the rebate check from the city. Makes me wonder, if cities made those incentives bigger, would we see more people letting go of their “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” mindset? Or is nostalgia just too strong for some?
TITLE: WHAT IF YOUR CITY PAID YOU TO USE LESS WATER?
Makes me wonder, if cities made those incentives bigger, would we see more people letting go of their “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” mindset? Or is nostalgia just too strong for some?
I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not totally convinced that rebates alone are the magic bullet. We built our place a couple years back and went with all new fixtures—partly because the old stuff was just too much hassle to track down, and partly because I wanted to avoid future leaks and headaches. But honestly, even with the rebate offers, the up-front cost of swapping out perfectly functional stuff can be hard to swallow for a lot of folks. Especially if you’re talking about something like a whole house or building.
Nostalgia’s definitely a thing, but there’s also just the “if it ain’t broke…” mentality. My neighbor’s got this ancient kitchen faucet that leaks every so often, but he swears it’s better than anything new. He says he can fix it in his sleep and doesn’t trust the newer models to last as long. Even when I showed him how much water he could save with an upgrade (and yeah, there’s a rebate here too), he just shrugged and said he’d rather stick with what he knows.
I think bigger rebates might nudge some people, but for others it’s more about convenience or just not wanting to mess with what works. Plus, there’s always those stories about new low-flow toilets not working as well—whether they’re true or not, that stuff sticks in people’s minds.
For me, it came down to wanting less hassle in the long run. But I get why some folks hold onto their old gear. Maybe if cities made the process super easy—like covering installation or hauling away the old stuff—it’d tip the scales more than just throwing extra cash at it. Just my two cents from living through a reno... sometimes money isn’t the only motivator.