Changes

Charcoal filters have an annual estimated cost of US$10 to 100 for a family that uses 25 liters of water per day. Countries with local access to charcoal, or materials such as coconut husks from which charcoal media can be derived will face significantly lower costs that those that have to import the charcoal filters. Activated carbon filtration systems have an estimated average annual cost of over US$100 for a family that uses 25 liters a day. These systems use GAC filters that need to be replaced every 9 to 12 months. Pour-through GAC filtration units cost about US$10 and use replacement filters that cost about US$2 each and need to be replaced after 40 gallons of water. Labor and maintenance costs are limited to purchasing and replacing the filters. SBAC (larger) units begin at about US$330, but generally cost about US$2500. Replacement filters are needed about once a year. SBAC replacement filters cost about US$0.07 per gallon of water treated.