Daniel Dobrogorsky has published some concept designs for a very modern tap which monitors water use in the bathroom. The designs look very futuristic and feature a computer display on top of a tap which shows how much water has been consumed in the bathroom from taps, baths and showers (it does seem to omit toilet water consumption at this stage). The unit aims to make water use data more readily available and visible to consumers which in turn will hopefully encourage them to use less. It will be interesting to see how/if this develops into an actual consumer product.
Daniel Dobrogorsky says that “currently the only way to monitor a Bathroom’s water consumption is by taking an educated guess using the household’s external flow meter as an indicator. The connection between instantaneous water usage and short term consumption is invisible. If this information could be readily and accurately available to the user, a greater appreciation, understanding and saving of water could be achieved. With this in mind, 51% of all water used in a typical suburban home is used in the bathroom[1] therefore the most savings can made here.
Koolhaus is a tap ware variant that integrates Bathroom water consumption information with a contemporary and functional aesthetic. Koolhaus allows users to monitor the accumulative water volume that each Bathroom appliance has dispensed during the day. Each bathroom appliance has its own flow rate device installed which relays inflow water volume data back to the Koohaus. The Koolhaus faucet displays this usage information from its convex LCD. Detailed usage data can also be routed to the haus’s computer. This allows the users to keep a detailed water log and review past usage figures.
Whilst bathroom appliances/components themselves can be modified to provide low flow rates and adhere to sustainable water standards, water usage at the end of day still rests with the user. By educating the user and displaying consumption information, they are able to enjoy their bathroom and the water provided from it – responsibility.”
[1] Government of Victoria, “Target 155 Campaign 2010”, Victorian State Government, Melbourne, http://www.target155.vic.gov.au, (accessed June 6th 2010).
For more information visit Daniel Dbrogorsky’s blog here.
