One day, I was scrolling on Facebook (as one does when they’re avoiding their inevitable readings, midterms, assignments, and projects). Amidst the memes and BuzzFeed videos, was a video on a smart showerhead. Of course, being a professional procrastinator who is fascinated by tech, I stopped scrolling and watched the entire thing.
The goal is that it will save water.
I gathered that the company is called OaSense and that the showerhead is motion sensored. It was inspired by the California drought of 2015 and is meant to combat the excess water that runs while lathering soap and shampoo – basically the same idea as telling someone to turn the tap off when they’re brushing their teeth, but automatic and therefore more convenient.
I started searching more about smart showerheads and found that there are actually a few companies doing this (HYDRAO, EvaDrop, just to name a couple).
Comparing the three, they all seem to be positioning their product to different segments, which was interesting to see.
- OaSense focuses on simplicity – easy installation and the fact that it doesn’t compromise quality or style.
- HYDRAO focuses on using this showerhead as a teaching tool for families and emphasizes the cost savings.
- EvaDrop focuses on giving the user full control on the shower experience, emphasizing the temperature sensor and mobile app.
I’m curious to see how these products will play out in the market, and who will ultimately be their customers. At the moment, I am interested, but have too many unanswered questions floating around to confidently drop ~$200USD on a showerhead.
With any new product trying to disrupt a stable industry, there will always be questions.
Particularly when marketing a product as being environmentally friendly, I am particularly skeptical. Is this going to be another case of a good intention but unfortunate execution? The following are my questions (which I am really asking to anyone because I just don’t understand the mechanics of a shower very well).
Ideal outcome: maybe one of the companies will see this and answer me?
- When the water flow pauses, on average, how long does it take to get it to reach the desired temperature again? Does this require any specific infrastructure in terms of how the water is heated in the home?
- Is it possible to charge the showerhead again or does it just need replacement batteries? How much energy does it use?
- Is there a way to turn off the sensor so that it doesn’t turn on if my niece, nephew, or dog decide to walk in there?
- WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO CANADA?
Although there isn’t much information on any of their websites at the moment, I’m hopeful that they will be transparent with us and share more details soon. I’m also hopeful that these products end up becoming major water savers (and if so, is implemented in homes effectively and sustainably)… because who wouldn’t want a cool motion sensored shower that saved water and gave you analytics via an app? Reading about my water consumption would definitely be more useful than the memes that I look at on my phone everyday anyway.
Oh, and I’m also hoping that the sensor is better than those automatic sinks that make me afraid of having soap forever on my hands.
KatherineApplebaum
April 3, 2017 — 9:55 am
Great post! I really liked that you asked the question about how much energy it uses. I think one of the most important takeaways from learning about sustainability is learning how to ask the right questions. It is so easy to be tricked into thinking a product is green but it’s critical to consider the entirety of resources used and the lifecycle. Speaking of which, I wonder what a lifecycle analysis would look like for a smart showerhead in comparison to a normal one. Does all the tech waste at the end of life make it worth the water savings?
Kimberly Wong
April 6, 2017 — 2:46 am
I totally agree with you! It’s so frustrating to be constantly unsure about these things though (although it’s definitely a good thing). Hopefully the more we talk about it and question it, the more the companies will see that there’s a demand for transparency and critical..ness
CarleneLoughlin
April 4, 2017 — 5:19 pm
Sadly I don’t have a lot of answers to your questions, merely more questions. Specifically, I’m wondering if they’ve considered appealing to larger establishments, rather than individual homes. For example, when I think of an automatic shower, I am most inclined to think of communal showers at the pool where you have to consistently press the button to keep the water continuous. While it works, the water keeps running for the allotted amount of time it is set to run for, no matter if you’ve finished with your shower and walked away. Perhaps these ‘smart showerheads’ could be a more efficient solution to swimming pool showers in order to balance the self controlled showers (that might accidentally be left on) and the button showers (that can be frustrating and inefficient to operate.)
Kimberly Wong
April 6, 2017 — 2:38 am
That sounds like such a good idea! Although it would be pretty scary (okay, and maybe kinda funny…) for parents who have to run through the showers on their way to the pool deck to pick their kids up from lessons.
JoshMcLean
April 10, 2017 — 3:16 pm
The promo video for the OaSense smart shower head is a nice little piece of marketing. It’s funny, informative, to the point, persuasive. And of course, the model using the OaSense shower head is much more conventionally attractive than the guy using a regular old shower.
I think Katie’s comment about the tech waste at the end of the lifecycle is particularly astute. Apparently the OaSense one runs on 4 AA batteries, and the batteries are meant to last over a year. I personally hate anything battery operated, especially since my expensive recharging station crapped out… but it claims it can reduce water usage in the shower by 50% which is certainly significant.