Cut those long showers short and save some water with the Hydrao First
The lights on the Bluetooth-enabled showerheads change colors to let you know when you've used too much water. Plus, the Hydrao app connects with Amazon's Alexa assistant.
A series of Bluetooth-connected showerheads will give you a light display when it's time to cut your long shower short. The Hydrao showerheads, which were on display at CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, have built-in LED lights that change from green to blue to purple to red based on how much water you've used. Smart and Blue, the French company that created the showerheads, wants you to use the light as a visual cue to take shorter showers to reduce your water and energy bills.
You can preorder the Hydrao First in the US for $99.
The Hydrao First is available for preorder in the US (it's previously been available in France) for $99, which converts to AU$140, £80. Two other models -- the $99 Hydrao Drop that fits onto existing showerheads, and the higher end, $160 (AU$220, £130) Hydrao Loop -- will be available later in 2017.
The Hydrao will also work with Alexa, Amazon's voice-activated digital assistant. It's a fairly limited integration -- you can only ask Alexa how much water you've used and how much money you've saved on your water and energy bills (if you do shorten those showers, that is).
You can use the Hydrao's app to adjust the amount of water that will trigger each color. If you leave the default settings and reduce the length of your showers, a family of four can save about $200 a year on utility bills, said Eric Burkel, who leads international strategy and development with Smart and Blue. If that turns out to be true, the Hydrao First will pay for itself in a year -- and then some.
