A device that measures and displays water usage when showering in hotels

Saving energy when others pay the bill

Innovation Lighthouse (see idea article on their partnership model) equipped rooms at The Student Hotel in Amsterdam with Amphiro meters – a device that measures and displays water usage when showering. The device also outlines a polar bear on an icecap that gradually melts as guests shower.

Both functionalities intended to compel guests to save water and polar bear by shortening shower time. Amphiro Meters were found to make guests decrease their hot water usage by 17%. The device was also effective in creating awareness as permanent residents maintained a 10% decrease in water usage even after the device had been removed from the rooms.

Hotel guests in developed nations have been found to use 200 – 500 litres of water a day (depending on the location and facilities of the hotel). At the Student Hotel, guests were found to shower for 17% long than they would at home. Following the success in Amsterdam, Innovation Lighthouse has since implemented Amphiro meters in more hotels in Italy.