FREE TO GOOD HOMES: TREES AND TOILETS.

Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX

``Nothing'' is the best price you'll ever pay for anything. So in case you missed it, there was some cool free stuff in Wednesday's Daily News in a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power advertisement.

Now the DWP sometimes finds itself in hot water over how it spends its money. This is money well spent, though.

Imagine getting a partial bathroom makeover. For free.

But wait, there's more.

If you plan on sprucing up your yard this year, the DWP will also give you up to seven trees. Free.

It can sometimes be a jungle out there, but the free tree program will help Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa create that urban forest of 1 million trees he promised us.

Of course there is a motive - water and power conservation - to the DWP largess. And the programs are funded out of the agency's annual revenue, which ratepayers do contribute to.

The bathroom makeover includes a free ultra-low-flush toilet - one for each bathroom you have - low-flow shower heads for every shower, and water-saving faucet aerators for all your faucets.

Of course there are several catches.

``Basically, it's subject to eligibility,'' said Tom Gackstetter, the DWP's manager of water conservation.

If the house already has low-flush toilets, it's not eligible for a free one. Notice I said house and not you.

``The history remains with the house, not the homeowner,'' Gackstetter explained.

Homeowners may call [phone] to find out their status. Follow the recorded prompts and be prepared to wait.

You also have to be a DWP customer, too.

The toilets are worth about $100, and installation is free. The ultra-low-flush toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water as opposed to 3.5 gallons for the the old style.

Gackstetter says they do the job despite less water in the tank.

``We've actually distributed thousands and we have a high degree of confidence that customers will be satisfied with the toilets they receive,'' he said.

The program also includes free toilet leak checks when shower heads and aerators are installed. If the toilet is leaking, the flapper will be replaced. For free, if the DWP's universal flapper fits. And Gackstetter said their flappers fit most models.

He also notes that it's a good program for anyone selling a house because an ordinance amended in 1999 requires that ultra-low-flow toilets have to be installed before the close of escrow.

The free trees come from the DWP's power side of the business.

Spokeswoman Kim Hughes said its open to both residents and businesses.

Called Trees for a Green L.A., it features 40 different kinds of large and small shade trees.

Participants have to take an online or neighborhood workshop on the nuts and bolts of tree planting to qualify.

For example, you don't want to put trees too close the home or sidewalk or where they will interfere with power lines, she said. Nor do you want to dig into utility or cable lines, either.

The free trees will help cool the house in summer and help contain water runoff in the winter, Hughes explained.

``It's very popular. We've done about 8,000 trees this year (since last July.)''

And about 40,000 have been planted since the program started in 2000.

Hughes also said that anyone taking an old Christmas tree to one of 16 city recycling center by 4 p.m. today will receive a free seedling tree to plant.

Hughes notes that for every tree planted, 81 kilowatts of power is saved annually. ``They say that's enough energy to keep a typical TV on 24 hours a day for seven days.''

The phone number for this program is [phone].

More information about all the department's programs is available at www.ladwp.com

Gregory J. Wilcox, [phone]

greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com