University of Surrey research indicates that live eco feedback technology in showers can notably reduce water use in tourism.
Analysing over 17,500 showering events in UK, Denmark and Spain hotels, the study, led by Dr Pablo Pereira-Doel, observed a decrease in shower lengths by up to 25.79% with this technology.
Dr Pereira-Doel highlights its potential to alleviate water stress globally, noting its effectiveness in reducing shower runtime.
The research employed smart technology with shower-detecting sensors, delivering real time eco feedback on shower length and transmitting data to researchers via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The sensor unit continuously monitored water sound, motion, temperature, and humidity, using an algorithm to identify showers and display their duration on an in-situ timer.
Collected shower data was routinely sent to the Cloud for analysis.
Professor Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing at the University of Surrey and co-author of the study, said: “Our innovative and robust approach emphasises the effectiveness of smart technology to foster resource conservation.
“This study’s outputs, based on actual behaviour measurement, show that eco feedback can have a dramatic effect on water use and that sustainability communications matter.”
