Studies have shown that the average eight-minute shower uses 62 – 65 litres of hot water, and some power showers can use up to 136 litres, compared with an average bath’s 80 litres. These findings have been widely reported in the Daily Mail, The Independent and the BBC, among others. Research shows that a ‘smart shower’ – getting the job done in four minutes under a water-efficient smart showerhead –uses just 32 to 35 litres.

The Smart Shower System should address the following common problems of water wastage while showering:

1. The length of time spent in the shower. Try taking a shorter shower of around 4-5 minutes.
2. Leaving the shower on while you are soaping and shampooing.
3. Waiting for the shower water to heat up.

Having seen my water bill rise year after year, it is time to look into the market for a Smart Shower System to alleviate my utility bills. Let’s have a look.

Smart Shower Systems

After typing smart shower system in Google: The following 3 systems came out tops: 1) Eva Smart Shower System 2) Hydrao Smart Shower System 3) SmarTap

Eva Smart Shower System

Eva is an innovative and effective shower system that promises incredible savings on your water bill. It works by resolving three poor user habits as mentioned above that leads to great amounts of waste: 1) keeping the water pouring even as we are away from the water jet; 2) letting the water run longer than needed as we wait for it to heat up and lastly, 3) taking unnecessarily long showers when a shorter one would suffice. All of this is combined with an app that tracks your “shower consumption” over time and encourages you to do better every time.

As soon as water starts flowing, Eva keeps an eye on water temperature. When the desired temperature is reached, the shower head automatically notifies you that it’s time to enter the shower and shuts down water flow, only resuming once it has detected your presence. After you enter, the flow rate of the water jet depends on your distance from the shower head, so that water doesn’t keep wastefully flowing at full tilt as you temporarily step away to shampoo your hair. LAstly, Eva also reminds you to step out of the shower if you’re taking too long.

The creators of Eva mentioned that you will be able to tweak different preferences from the free companion app, including water temperature, shower length, water flow and “zone” settings (each zone, defined as your distance from the shower head, can be assigned a different level of water flow). The app also keeps track of daily shower times and water usage, comparing it to other Eva owners and encouraging you to practice water-saving habits.

The device uses standard half-inch shower head connections that will reportedly work for most showers. Eva is featured on Indiegogo for crowdfunding. If all goes to plan, the smart shower heads are expected to be delivered by December next year. Keep a look out for it.

Hydrao Smart Shower System 

The Hydrao’s showerhead is a slightly different shower idea. It is a shower head that is compatible with just about all types of shower systems and it is self-powered, which means you do not have to worry about issues like recharging its battery and what-not. It will feature Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity in order to communicate with an app on your iOS or Android-powered smartphone, tracking your overall water usage and keeping tabs on your individual consumption habits. All that can be measured by the Hydrao can be tweaked.

So far, there has been no word on pricing details just yet. Of course, since it is connected and deemed to be “smart”, having it feature a hue of glowing color adds to the overall coolness of the device.

SmarTap

The SmarTap allows accurate control of your water temperature, pressure and flow rate. It also monitors your water usage using an intelligent App interface.

As mentioned on its website: SmarTap ensures that the water temperature will never reach unsafe levels. Use the APP or web interface to set the maximum temperature, and the system will shut down instantly in the event of extreme high temperature or pressure loss. SmarTap also boast a feature that detects any leaks on time. The MEMS embedded sensors detect leakage and notifies you via their Smartphone App. SmarTap’s smart system also provides accurate and steady regulation of flow rate, and gives a unique and exceptional shower every time. Every drop of water used can be measured, temperature checked, flow and pressure controlled via the smartphone app.

SmarTap’s features are very impressive and will definitely give the other 2 smart shower systems a run for their money.

All in all, Smart Shower Systems are relatively new in the market. There are more improvement to come, for sure. It will be wise to wait for the version 2.0s if possible, but if you really have to invest in one to curb that extreme water bill, do consider these smart systems reviewed above. Each of them have their own unique feature, but Eva Smart Shower may stand out a little due to its smart zoning feature which controls water flow rates.

To be really effective in saving water consumption, it all boils down to individual habits. Remember to shower in shorter time frames and turn off the water supply while shampooing and lathering.