Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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Driving down demand With drought and water resources becoming a subject of growing importance, we look at some customer-side options that can help reduce demand By Robin Hackett The Knowledge 20 | JANUARY 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk W ater resources are already a major con- cern across many parts of the UK, and the recently pub- lished UK Climate Projections 2018 data from the Met Office and around the world suggests summer temperatures could be up to 5.4C hotter by 2070 while average summer rainfall could decrease by up to 47 per cent over the same time period. The solution is likely to cover a range of approaches including new water supply infrastructure, water trans- fers and leakage, but there will also be a need to cut per capita consumption. Here, we've picked out a selection of recent innovations that could help customers understand and reduce their water use. Aloe (HYDRAO) France-based HYDRAO launched its Origin shower head in 2016, which measures water flow and lights up the colour of the spray with an integrated multicolor LED system to offer a real-time indication of the volume of water used during the shower. Powered by the water flow, the Origin is Bluetooth- connected and links to the HYDRAO Smart Shower, which allows users to customise water consumption thresholds and colours as well as recording progress on how much water and energy has been saved, featuring historical records on up to 1,000 showers. Since the Origin was launched, HYDRAO has unveiled the First shower head, which is resistant to limescale and comes with an excess flow valve, and the Aloe shower head, which is the most efficient yet with a maximum water flow of 6.6 litres per minute as well as offering three 'multi-jet' modes. HYDRAO, which sells its products to all EU countries and the United States, has been working with United Utilities' Innovation Lab programme in recent months to maximise the benefits its products can offer. BrighTap (BrighTap) BrighTap is a smart water meter sensor that attaches to a tap or shower head and tracks water usage and quality. One cubic inch in size, it is powered by the water that passes through it and is designed to be easy to install and last for years. Its display shows a real-time measurement of how much water has been consumed and the length of time water has been running, as well as offering a star rating on its quality and precise information on temperature. There is also an accompanying app that boasts features including changes in water consumption and how usage compares to those living nearby, while users are offered tips on how to cut their consumption and who they should contact if there are any water quality issues. Developed by Israel- based BwareIT, the product has already won awards – including the Innovation prize at Waterwise's Water Efficiency Product Awards – and the company has said it is due to launch in the near future, with a new design imminent.