Why an Upfall shower?
Shower uses water and a lot of gas (energy)
"Water doesn't cost anything" is a frequently heard comment, but that conviction is now also starting to wane among many people, because it does cost us something. Everyone in the Netherlands now knows how many problems its extraction causes and that natural gas will disappear as our main source of energy in the future. People are no longer convinced of the unlimited amount of drinking water available in the house. We in the Netherlands will not escape the water problem in the near future either. The large drinking water companies have now indicated that they do not expect to be able to meet the demand in the future. The demand for drinking water will also increase due to an increase in the population. 30% is expected to rise through 2040. Luxury is partly responsible for this increase.
We do not shower less because of it and in the future we will have to pay much more for our showers. Heating shower water costs energy and energy costs money. Everyone knows that the prices of gas and water will go up in the coming years, that is also the only way the government can do anything if they want to cut back on water and gas.
Where other household appliances have started to use less water, water use in the shower has only increased. We have become acquainted with the luxury of a spacious shower and do not want to lose it. A growing world population will also want to shower in the future, just like us, but where will we get that water from? "
Take a shorter shower then?
Take a shorter shower, use a shower alarm, shower with saving hand showers… a lot has been done in recent years to let people use less water when showering, but it was of little use. People want to feel the luxury of a full hot shower. People do not want to stand under a small trickle of water and be constantly cold, they want the luxury of wellness at home. It is therefore not really striking that there is an enormous choice of so-called "showerpipes" in almost all sanitary facilities, which are shower faucets with 20 to 30 cm large shower heads. The water consumption of a "showerpipe" is between 10 and 15 liters of water per minute, depending on the hot water supply. If you have a boiler, the use can sometimes rise to 20 to 25 liters of water per minute. A good economy shower uses approximately between 9.5 and 5.5 liters of water per minute. Keep in mind that shower water consists of 2/3 warm water and 1/3 cold water, so you can easily calculate how long a boiler can last.
Giga water use at home
In the Netherlands, three quarters of our drinking water goes to households, more than 60% of that goes to showering. All water-using equipment in the house has become more economical in the past year, only water consumption for showering continues to increase.
We are currently working hard in the Netherlands to get rid of natural gas. However, the drinking water problem will become a much bigger problem and will be on our doorstep sooner than we would like.
How much water is there actually on Earth?
Viewed from space, it may appear that our planet is mostly made up of water, but it is not. On average, the oceans are about 3500 meters deep.
The water problem is even greater when you realize that there is actually not that much water for consumption on earth. In this image you don't even see the earth blue, but grey/grey. In the large blue sphere that is depicted on this earth, all the salty seawater that is on earth is drawn together, so all the salty water from seas and oceans. The very small blue orb to the right of the saltwater orb that is already hard to see contains all the freshwater from rivers and lakes. Below, barely visible, is the water suitable for drinking water. You can't make water, so you'll have to make do with the water that's there. Extracting water from the air will in turn have consequences for nature. Large-scale desalination of seawater also does not provide a solution. It is very expensive and one is left with a residue that contains toxic substances and that cannot be discharged back into the sea. Water is sometimes called “the new gold” and for good reason. The conflict in Syria, which has been going on for years, is also based on a drinking water problem. Water refugees will therefore increasingly come.
water stress
This image indicates the problem areas around our future and water supply. The world map clearly shows that the problem areas are no longer just around the equator, but also that Belgium and a large part of the Netherlands will be red in 2040. The Netherlands extracts drinking water from the soil and from the major rivers. How critical water extraction in the Netherlands can be became apparent in the summer of 2018, 2019, 2020 and periods like that will not disappear.
Water refugee
Due to the drought, we will increasingly have to deal with climate refugees in the future. People fleeing areas where there is little or no water available. These people will want to settle in areas where it is known that there is and will be sufficient water in the future. We should not only think of masses of people who suddenly flee, but more of people who consciously choose to emigrate to areas in the world where water is sufficient for the future.
Global warming
We often give little credence to the stories about the increase in temperature on earth and the increasing problems with the climate and drought as a result. Nothing could be further from the truth. In these graphs you can see that the population increase of 6 billion people in barely a century is directly reflected in the rise in temperature and the demand for drinking water. Everything we pollute in the air ends up in an atmosphere that is barely 80 km thick. Beyond that, the “space” begins. CO2 is the biggest culprit of global warming. Oceans also absorb heat, which raises the temperature of the water, which in turn causes coral reefs and vegetation to die. Ice caps, glaciers are melting and raising sea levels. Everything is connected. The growth of the world's population will cause an even bigger problem in the coming years...the demand for drinking water, because without water there is no life.
Increasing need for water worldwide
The need for drinking water will increase sharply in the coming years. Not only the rapid population growth, but also prosperity will increase water use. More mouths will have to be fed and all these mouths will also want more prosperity. Everyone will soon need more water in the house for, among other things, showering. In the Netherlands, 60% is already going from the water in the house to the shower.
These images clearly show that water use continues to rise at an alarming rate. The “water consumption line” is rising faster than the population line.
More people, same amount of drinking water
We will therefore have to share the same amount of water with more and more people in the future. 1 billion people in 1830 had to make do with the same amount of drinking water as the 9.3 billion in 2050. Add to that the fact that there is a huge shift taking place on the earth in the still wetlands and you see that there is a huge problem coming before us.
Where does our drinking water come from?
Our drinking water enters our country via rain or rivers. Long periods with little precipitation have a direct impact on our drinking water supply. More than half of our drinking water comes from the soil. Farmers also extract water from the soil for their crops. In a crisis situation, the government may therefore have to give priority to farmers in order not to endanger the harvests. We will also have to adjust our water use for that reason.
Drinking water from rivers
In the event of drought, our neighboring countries will be the first to extract drinking water from the rivers that also flow through their country. For us, this means that we receive less water supply via the Rhine and Meuse. Less water via the rivers means that seawater in the mouth of the rivers enters our country further, resulting in salinization of the soil, because there is less counter pressure from the river mouth. Another problem is that neighboring countries discharge more and more waste into their rivers and that making drinking water from these rivers will become increasingly difficult. Finally, the Rhine is also a glacial river and not much is left of the glacier in the Alps.
Drinking water from the bottom
60% of our drinking water comes from the soil. In the Netherlands there is more damage every year due to drinking water extraction. Agricultural companies are increasingly affected by this and have now united and can be found on the internet under the name Droogteschade.nl. Droogteschade.nl wants a joint action towards the drinking water companies.
The map shows the drinking water sources in the Netherlands. In the west there are hardly any because there is much use of surface water that is cleaned in the dunes.
Heating water costs energy
The less water we have to heat for shower, the better it is. Besides the fact that energy simply costs money, most ways of heating are partly responsible for the pollution of our environment. Heating with gas causes co2 emissions, but heating with electricity via old-fashioned power stations also causes co2 emissions….
Water pollution is on the rise
In addition to the fact that we have less and less water at our disposal, the problem of pollution of the ground and river water is also increasingly coming into play. The use of toxic substances in agriculture and in private gardens causes heavy pollution of the soil. Drinking water companies have to invest more and more in cleaning techniques to meet the growing demand.
Water is big business
In the Netherlands it is regulated by law that drinking water companies may never come into private hands. The drinking water companies therefore mainly have Dutch municipalities as shareholders. These municipalities receive a dividend every year. In addition, the state levies a tax on drinking water and VAT. RTL4 recently made a broadcast about "drinking water the new cash cow of the government". If the drinking water companies really want to come up with a sustainable solution, they will have to invest much more in rainwater and the reuse of water at home. This does mean that these organizations have to change drastically in terms of vision and let go of the time-honored business operations that were mainly focused on generating revenue. An example of an outdated business operation is apparent from the fact that drinking water refuses to look at our Upfallshower, which has proven to save a lot of water… but maybe a little too much.
Upfallshower a sustainable solution
The Upfallshower is a sustainable shower solution that can reduce shower water, energy and waste water worldwide, in fact even when using an Upfallshower at home, the savings on total water use in the house can decrease by 40-50%, which can mean worldwide we don't need you not explain. The combination of sustainability and luxury makes the Upfallshower a great success, because, say yourself, who doesn't want to be sustainable and still enjoy a luxurious wellness shower?
No, the Upfallshower is not the solution, but it can contribute to an enormous reduction in water and energy consumption worldwide.
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