Residents in Bonney Lake can save a little green by being a little green next year.

For the fourth consecutive year, the city is participating in the WashWise clothes washer rebate program, which pays residents to purchase energy- and water-efficient washing machines.

And for the third consecutive year, the city will also be participating in a program to provide rebates for residents who purchase high-efficiency toilets.

An approved washing machine can pull a rebate of up to $100 while a high-efficiency toilet will net a check for $50. The program is run by Portland Energy Conservation out of Oregon and is designed to help the city save resources.

“No. 1, it’s water conservation,” said Bonney Lake Finance Director Al Juarez, whose department oversees the rebate program. “If we can pass on conservation methods and educational programs to the public, that saves water.”

Dennis Hodge, senior project coordinator for PECI agreed.

“It helps utilities save money in the long run,” he said. “The less water that gets used, the less they have to spend on infrastructure.”

According to Hodge, in 2010, 375 clothes washer rebates were issued to residents in Bonney Lake, saving approximately 6,000 gallons per washer per year for a total of about 2.6 million gallons of water. In addition, Hodge said the residents saved 55,000 kilowatt hours of power.

Though he did not have exact numbers for the high-efficiency toilet program, Hodge said a high-efficiency toilet can save up to 10,500 gallons of water each year.

“Your toilet is actually the biggest water user in your house,” he said.

Assistant City Engineer Doug Budzynski said the program reduces demand, protects the existing supply and helps prevent the city from having to connect to Tacoma water during dry months.

Reducing demand also allows the city to rest its pumps, saving additional money.

“The less we have to supply, the less the pumps run; the less the pumps run, the less electricity we use,” he said.

Though the washer rebate will cost the city an estimated $32,000 and the toilet program will cost approximately $13,000, Juarez said the two together should save the city at least that much money through the year.

To participate in the program, residents must buy a qualified model washer or toilet from a participating retailer. In Bonney Lake, both Lowe’s and Home Depot are participating in the program.

For more information or to see a list of qualified models and retailers, visit the www.citybonneylake.org, www.epa.gov/watersense or www.wishwise.com.