The Claim

The Water Saving Monitor helps you keep track of the water you are using in the shower, with an alarm telling you when you have used your target amount, so you don’t waste water.

How does it work?

Showertime works by gauging the average output of water from your shower and programming it to a timer with an audio alert. By filling the bag provided from your showerhead you can calibrate the unit. Once this is done you can set your own target (eg. 35 litres or 4 minutes). Every time you have a shower, you press the start button, and the gadget lets you know your usage with a little digital display.

How did it work for me?

The Showertime is a lightweight cool looking gadget that gives a bit of a fun looking way to save water. Once again, this product is going to be more useful to those with a water meter, but anyone looking to save water and do their bit for the environment is going to benefit. Using less hot water will obviously cut your energy bills as well since you don’t need to heat water that you are not going to use, so this is another reason to try and cut your water use.

Unfortunately where the device failed for me was that the suction cap didn’t work that well at keeping it in place – I am not sure if it was because the suction cap was not  not big enough to hold the unit in place, but in the 6 weeks that I have had it, it has fallen off the wall about half a dozen times, aside from that though I have no complaints!

But if you remember to use it, this device really does make you aware of how much water you are using. It was really difficult in the past to translate time in the shower with actual litre usage, but now it is really easy to find the exact amount I have used.

The Claim

The kettle is supposed to use 60% less energy than a conventional kettle, by better controlling the amount of water being boiled. The kettle has 2 compartments and releases only the required amount of water into the boiling compartment, preventing waste. 

How does it work?

You can fill the kettle with up to 1.5 litres of water, but you then control how much is sent to the boiling compartment via a knob. The kettle can boil up to 800ml of water at any one time. It is a simple idea, but often the simple ideas are the best.

How did it work for me?

I had to buy a new kettle after moving into my new apartment. It seemed sensible to try a model like this since the price point was fair for a kettle, and I hoped to save a bit of money on my electricity bill.

The first thing to say is that the kettle is quite bulky, it might not be ideal for the frail or elderly who tend to find heavy appliances difficult to handle, conversely though it looks well built, much better than those budget kettles you can get on the highstreet.

It isn’t too noisy and boils the water fairly quickly, which is a big advantage for the impatient among us. I guess this is because I am not overfilling anymore.

The reservoir on the kettle is fairly large and can hold plenty of water, which is nice as you don’t need to keep topping the water up every time you use it. Unfortunately for larger households, or when you have a lot of company, you might find yourself having to boil 2 lots of water, as 800ml doesn’t stretch past 3 or 4 cups!

A minor quibble I think, as the vast majority of the time it is plenty enough for a few cups of tea or to boil some water for cooking. Without putting a meter on it to check how much energy I am saving, it is difficult to give figures, but it is self evident that this model definitely saves some energy and is probably worth it in the long run, if you can get past those little annoyances.

The Claim

The Hippo claims to save you up to 3 litres of water every time you flush the toilet, by reducing the volume of your toilet’s cistern. For slimline toilets, a slightly smaller version of the Hippo can be bought, which will save up to 2 litres. There is a small carbon saving of around 0.003 kg per litre, which over time will add up, especially if all toilets are altered. For those on a water meter, it should significantly reduce your bill, as on average 30% of your water usage is via your toilet.

How does it work?

Simply open the hippo up and position it in the cistern. When the toilet is flushed, the water confined within the Hippo’s polyethylene bag is saved, although there are small holes in the Hippo to ensure the water is continually replaced so it doesn’t become stagnant.

How did it work for me?

Being on a water meter I thought it prudent to look into ways of saving water, and the Hippo is a cheap, simple option that seems to reduce my water bill. You simply open the hippo and push the corners out to create a box, and then position it underneath the ball cock (the float in the water) to save water on each flush.

I have had no problems with the device since installation, and I can notice that the amount of water being used in each flush is much less.

For those with other types of cistern, it isn’t necessarily evident when you buy it that the hippo will only work on 9 litre systems. If you have a slimline cistern, you need to buy the smaller hippo.

Overall, the hippo seems to do the job. Is it worth it? If you are on a water meter and you can’t find something else to displace the water in your cistern, this will do the job, and it will save you money as well. But could you not just fill a milk bottle and put it in the cistern, or use a brick or stone? Well, yes.