‘Smart’ showerhead tells you how much water you’re using

Homeowners looking to reduce their water bill  might benefit from a soon-to-be-released “smart” showerhead.

The Hydrao was unveiled at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It pulls back the curtain on how much water you’re wasting with those long showers.

Using sensors and LED lights, it glows green if less than 10 litres of water has passed through its base. The colour changes to purple when you surpass that mark, and turns orange once you’ve used 30 litres.

At the 50-litre mark, it goes red.

“Tap water is precious and … the planet is suffering from our excessive use of it. And yet, despite all of us knowing this, we continue to use more and more of it,” the company’s CEO says in a video.

According to Hydrao, we consume an average of 80 litres of warm water during a shower.

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Based on other estimates of average shower times, that figure could be even greater.

According to Statistics Canada, 35 per cent of our residential water usage is in showers and baths.

Water conservation experts have previously recommended people keep their showers to five minutes, and to turn off water when you’re lathering and shaving.

Standard showerheads have been said to use 17 litres of water per minute, while low-flow showerheads can cut that down to 10 litres per minute.

The Hydrao showerhead is powered by the flow of water through it and can be synced with a smartphone to help you track your usage.

The device is expected to be available in March for $99.

READ MORE: The best in home and auto technology from CES 2016

Here are some highlights from a 2014 U.S. survey on showering:

• On average, showers last about 13 minutes. Women tend to shower longer than men.
• Men typically shower more frequently than women (seven times a week vs. 6.4 respectively)
• The majority (73 per cent) of couples shower together.
• Many (67 per cent) spend their time in the shower daydreaming.
• Under 40 per cent want to conserve water, but don’t want to sacrifice shower performance.

READ MORE: 4 ways to conserve water at home (and lower your water bills)

The record for the world’s longest shower goes to Kevin “Catfish” McCarthy. In April 1985, he apparently took a shower that lasted 341 hours (that’s just over two weeks).

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