So simple sounding it almost makes you wonder why nobody ever came up with it before, Showerloop is a system that allows water from the shower to be purified and reused, in real time, while you’re still standing in the cubicle. The hot water is captured and sent through a series of filters – sand, microfibre and activated carbon – before being sterilised with the help of a UV lamp. The filtered water is then transported right back into the shower head, once again so clean that it even fulfils – according to Showerloop founder Jason Sevlarajan – EU drinking water standards.
This circular system of cleaning and reusing the water means a dramatic reduction in energy and water usage, especially during long showers. The inventors of the DIY product promise you can have a practically never-ending shower using just 10 litres of fresh water. In a normal shower, the same amount of water would be used up in only a minute. Showerloop reduces the ecological footprint of a conventional shower by approximately 90 per cent, meaning that with a system like this an individual could save around 33,000 litres of water and 1 MWh of energy a year.
So I Have To Buy A New Shower? No, Build One Yourself!
Although it is possible to buy a ready-made Showerloop set, you can also get your hands on an instruction manual explaining how to build one yourself, right here. The supplies you need are fairly easy to come by, and you should be able to get them together for around 650 US dollars. If you decide to start your own Showerloop project, you can even include automation, monitoring options and other features too, to install a showering system that’s perfectly suited to your own personal needs.
Reusing water in this way is a fantastic option, especially in areas where water is scarce, and the concept has already won a whole raft of awards. But aside from the savings on water, energy and money, are there other sustainability issues we should be questioning when we read about projects like this? Like: What would it mean for drinking water production and the drinking water industry if households all started using filtered waste water only? And how sustainable are the production and cleaning conditions of such systems in comparison to local water resources management? And a third question: How many people – especially among those who could most benefit from a system like this – actually have the right and the ability to install (people living in rented accommodation, people with low incomes) a system such as this in their homes?
The video below gives you a glimpse of exactly how Showerloop actually works. And if you’re feeling inspired, check out our favourite (and less technical) ways of reducing your water consumption, by clicking on this link.
