Water recycling showers for the future
In the next three years, nearly two-thirds of the world's population may end up facing water shortage. With 10 per cent of global water consumption happening at home, IKEA is exploring innovative water saving solutions, such as a shower that enables water reuse. IKEA product development engineer Antony Smith discusses the project, and his learnings along the way.
The IKEA Test Lab was abuzz with activity this Thursday morning as four people gathered around a shower, testing it out. From the pressure of the water and its temperature to the functioning of the drain, they tested all functions of the showering concept several times. And they seemed pretty pleased with what they saw. They were testing out the new, innovative shower that IKEA has been developing for the last two years. But it’s no ordinary shower. This one recycles shower water, which can help save the most precious liquid on Mother Earth.
Besides the four, Antony Smith, the product development engineer at IKEA, who has worked extensively on the solution, was also there in the test lab, looking almost like a proud yet nervous parent. Water is a big focus at IKEA, Antony explains as we go about testing the shower.
Elaborating more, Antony explained that IKEA has identified showering, toilet, laundry, washbasin/sink activities and water for cooking and drinking as key areas to enable and inspire change. By creating water-efficient products around these activities, IKEA can influence over 90% of the water use at home. "Water scarcity is real. At IKEA, we want to develop solutions that enable and inspire our customers to become water efficient. And studies show that showering consumes the most water," says Antony. And this is why innovating and creating a water recycling shower that can help save water is an important step for IKEA.
The journey to create a suitable, effective solution
Over the last two years, IKEA and Flow Loop have together developed a water recycling shower solution that can fit any existing shower space. Flow Loop is a Danish company that started working with IKEA after being selected in one of the IKEA innovation accelerator programs. IKEA has also made a minority investment in Flow Loop.
This innovative solution aims to save up to 80 per cent of water and reduce up to 70 per cent of energy used compared to average showers. This is done by recycling, cleaning and disinfecting the personal shower water in a closed loop while showering.
Several home tests and the demos at the IKEA Test Lab in Älmhult indicate that the latest version of the solution achieves its goals and improves substantially in terms of noise levels and size, the key challenges in earlier prototypes.
In the earlier home tests, the prototype was bulky - almost the size of a standard work desk (about 60 cm wide). The latest version is half of that. This slimmer version is easy to fit in practically any bathroom. It also has a small circle in the centre, which emits light when water recycling starts.
"The shower is designed by the IKEA designer David Wahl. We added the lighting, which we think has made a big difference, by adding a kind of atmosphere to the product in a bathroom. In terms of the function, this version of the shower solution is the most up-to-date model from Flow Loop and as close to production as you can get with a prototype," says Antony.
Over the last 12 months, the latest version has been home tested in 17 different homes, with almost 4,000 showers taken.
The noise that the recycling system emitted earlier has been reduced to the ruffle of a table fan. "The earlier prototypes were noisy for technical reasons, and it was a distraction. One of our home tester's children called it a ‘dinosaur’," says Antony. So, Antony and the team decided to break down the shower from being a "dinosaur" to a "kitten". They broke down the complexities and took off the parts that were not essential to create a slimmer, lighter, and quieter version. For example, the earlier prototypes had many sensors to measure water flow and temperature during a shower. Therefore, the new version uses nearly 50 per cent fewer components than the last one. The shower's design and layout were also simplified further.
Tiny drops of water make a mighty ocean
According to several estimates, nearly one-third of the world's population may face water shortages by 2025. But small changes like turning off the water while brushing teeth or shaving can help save water at home.
Studies indicate that showering consumes the most water in a typical household – up to almost 40 per cent.
The latest version of the water recycling shower has proven to be successful at recycling water in real-time and reducing energy consumption by about 70 per cent. Antony did not just share these numbers. He showed how it worked:
Typically, every time one takes a shower of about 10 minutes, 100-120 litres of water go straight into the drain. However, this shower solution can kick off recycling within 15 seconds of starting the shower. The only thing one needs to do is press the drain cap that comes with the set-up. The pressing of the drain cap starts the recycling process, sending it through a loop for cleaning and disinfection.
Recycled water then goes to the showerhead. So, if one were using 120 litres of water in a 10-minute shower, with this solution, they would have used only about 30 litres of fresh water and 90 litres of recycled water without feeling any difference in temperature or quality of water.
"In the home test, the showers have sensors in them. So, we know how long one showered, the quantity of recycled water and city supply water used," says Troels Grene, CEO, Flow Loop, who currently has a home test in his house.
And home testers seem quite pleased with this solution.
"It ticks all my boxes for a good shower," said one.
Another home tester said it helps her live sustainably. "It's just really good to have it and relax with a good conscience."
With this shower solution, the next phase is to refine the design and engineering. So, the team will take the latest prototype and improve the design further for manufacturing and large-scale production.
"I guess one could say we are halfway there until we get it to a point where we can tell a manufacturer to start producing it, for the many at an affordable price," says Antony.