To check wastage of valuable resource of water, Singapore’s national water agency PUB has planned to install smart devices in about 10,000 new homes which will regulate the amount of water being used by a person while taking a shower.
The pilot project christened ‘Smart Shower Programme’ will be launched in the first quarter of next year and the agency has put out a call for proposals to supply these smart showers. The Request-for-Proposal will be launched on April 28 and will close at the end of May.
PUB’s Director of Water Supply, Michael Toh, said, “Showering typically comprises 29 per cent of a household’s monthly water consumption. There is great potential to achieve substantial savings if we can change the user’s behaviour during his/her shower time.”
He added, “Water is a precious resource, and everyone is encouraged to make water conservation a way of life. By making users more aware of their water usage in their daily activities, we hope to encourage people to adopt good water-saving habits and use water wisely, reducing their water bill.”
Quoting a study conducted with the National University of Singapore from July 2015 to March 2016, PUB said households can save about 5 litres of water a person a day when provided with real-time information on water usage during showers. This could help households save about 3 per cent of their monthly water bill, PUB added.
PUB also stated that it hopes to tap into ideas from the industry to improve the features of existing smart shower devices available in the market. This includes alternative ways of providing real-time feedback on water consumption during showers, and allowing users to download the data to their smartphones, tablets and laptops so they can monitor their progress in reducing water usage.