Between waterproof e-readers and water-resistant speakers, our showers are getting crowded with gadgets. But Green Starts Here wants to introduce one more device into showers, one aimed at saving water. The sustainably minded company launched its ShowerSaver today, a device that monitors water-consumption and lets users know how long they’ve been showering and how much H2O has gone down the drain.
Just informing people how much water they’re using leads to shorter showers, according inventor Kevin Myers. The device is more than just a timer, however. It provides feedback to users, with water-level indicators turning green, yellow, and red the longer someone stays in the shower. The device turns on and off automatically whenever it detects someone in the shower, so it conserves power. It’s easy enough to set up, because it doesn’t connect to any plumbing and runs on rechargeable AA batteries.
Cutting your daily shower by one minute can save between $15 and $50 a year on water, sewer, and electricity bills, according to Green Starts Here. They point out that California has been suffering through a drought, and a billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Meanwhile, the average American spends $500 a year luxuriating in steamy showers. (There must be a way to calculate how much we save by adamantly refusing to shower on Sundays, despite protests from loved ones.)
The ShowerSaver isn’t alone in the market. Amphiro currently has a Kickstarter campaign going for a similar device, though it goes beyond the ShowerSaver with Bluetooth connectivity, so users can track their water usage and savings on an app. The difference is, ShowerSaver is available now. You can buy one for the Captain Planet in your life at Amazon for $60.
