Eco-friendly shower wins French invention medal
People can enjoy hot showers with minimal environmental impact, using only a few litres of water compared to hundreds from a bath or traditional shower
The sustainable shower uses five litres of water
Ilya-Technologie
A shower which recycles water to allow people to have long, hot showers without feeling guilty has won a medal at France’s top invention trade show.
The douche cyclique is fitted with two buttons, one to start the shower and which is used when washing and shampooing, and a second which engages the recycling process.
“It takes about five litres of water for the recycling circuit to charge itself, and once it is running you can stay in the shower for as long as you like and at the temperature you like,” said Simon Buoro, one of the founders of Ilya-Technologie, the company behind the showers.
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“There is a pump, a disinfecting system and a heating element and the shower uses around 100 watts of electricity in recycling mode, which is very little compared to staying under a normal hot shower.”
Once the shower ends, the five litres of water is drained away.
Sustainable option
The company has started taking pre-orders at €300 for the showers, which will cost €3,000 fully installed.
“We wanted to find ways to help people use less energy around the home without having to make big sacrifices, and we realised that showers were one of the main energy consumers and water users in the home.”
Where most baths use between 200 and 300 litres of water, showers use between 10 and 15 litres of water per minute.
“If you have a 10-minute shower you are likely to use 100 litres of water at least, but with our shower, after a minute or two to wash with soap and shampoo, no more additional water is used.”
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Its plumbing system is necessarily more complex than those found in most bathrooms, so the recycling shower cannot be a simple replacement for existing ones.
“Buyers usually have a project to redo their shower room completely, and we are also talking to some property developers who are considering putting the showers in their new housing developments,” said Mr Buoro.
The company intends to start delivering its first showers at the end of 2024, and is looking for French sub-contractors to provide the parts and assemble them.
In this year’s Concours Lépine, Ilya-Tehnologie won second place in the overall competition for its invention.
