When this disc glows red, you know you’re using too much water

By Jenny McGrath October 20, 2015

Water bills can be a bit of a mystery. Just what’s putting a drain on your wallet? The dishwasher? Your 20-minute showers? The sprinklers? Barcelona startup Oasys is the latest company that wants to give you an insight into your H2O usage. While it won’t quite give you that level of detail, it is designed to help you track your usage before you open your bill, so you can adjust your habits accordingly.

Similar to another recent Kickstarter, Fluid, the Oasys has a sensor that fits around the outside of your water main, so you don’t need to take apart any pipes. But the Oasys goes a step further with a second device that visually illustrates how much water you’re using.

The dinner plate-esque disc has a white ring encircling a touchscreen. That screen displays all sorts of information, like how much water you’ve used that week compared to last, your consumption history, and water usage for similar homes. Local weather data and water reserve levels are also available with the swipe of a finger. It will also issue alerts and glow red when you’ve used too much water or a if there’s a possible leak. You’ll also eventually get notifications on your smartphone, though no apps are available yet.

Another way the Oasys differs from the Fluid is that it doesn’t detect the different “signatures” for your appliances, sinks, and so on. In that way, Fluid lets you know which devices are using the most water, but it still ties you to your smartphone. It’d be nice to see that capability in an easier-to-see format.

It has yet to meet its funding goal, with 10 days to go, and you can pick up the Oasys for the early-bird price of $202. If they do manage to raise the rest of the funds, the device should ship in May 2016.

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Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

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