Case study - Aguardio shower sensors at University of Surrey

Aguardio shower sensor

Showering smartly in student accommodation

Reducing water use from showering at the University of Surrey

Concerned about the high water and energy consumption in student accommodations due to prolonged showering, a behavioural intervention using Aguardio’s shower sensor and persuasive messaging was conducted at University of Surrey. The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the intervention in encouraging pro-environmental shower behaviour among students over a period of 5 months.

The challenge

Students spend more time showering than other age groups (often on average between 9-12 minutes), which contributes to increased water and energy consumption in student accommodations. Moreover, traditional methods of encouraging behaviour change, such as signs or posters, may not be effective in the long term.

Results

Aguardio’s shower sensors combined with pro-environment messaging reduced students’ average showering time by 33% or by approximately 3 minutes, demonstrating the effectiveness of using Aguardio’s shower technology and persuasive messaging in encouraging pro-environmental shower behaviour among students.

By implementing Aguardio’s shower sensor, student accommodations can reduce their water and energy consumption and contribute to pro-environmental behaviour among their residents.

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How Aguardio helped

Aguardio Shower Sensors, innovative smart technology IoT sensors that provide real-time feedback on water and energy usage while showering, were installed in students’ shower cubicles. The feedback from the sensor empowered students to modify their behaviour in real-time. Also tested were three persuasive messages that reflected pro-environmental values and the level of effort required to engage with the message (e.g., Water is essential for life! A typical shower here has water running for 3:30 mins.

Estimated impact

Showerhead size	Average shower time	Water usage per shower	Total water usage per day	Water savings per day	CO2 savings per day from district heating	CO2 savings per day from oil burner	CO2 savings per day from gas	CO2 savings per day from power
12 ltr per minute	10 minutes	120 litres	960,000 litres	316,800 litres	145 kg CO2e per day	315 kg CO2e per day	73 kg CO2e per day	179 kg CO2e per day

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