Kerlink & HYDRAO installing world’s first LoRaWAN smart-shower network to lower water consumption at U.S. hospitality chain

April 8, 2021

The French Internet of Things companies’ combined technologies are expected to reduce water use by up to 1 million gallons a year for Hostelling International USA, (HI USA), a U.S. nonprofit with more than 30 hostels.

The system created by Kerlink, a specialist in solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), and HYDRAO, which makes smart demand-management solutions that enable significant water and energy savings, will show HI USA’s overnight guests in real time how much water they are using while showering, via a colored-LED sequence (much like a traffic light).

HI USA’s nationwide, LoRaWAN-based SmartShower program uses a smart showerhead, CEREUS, and platform made by HYDRAO, a French startup. The device uses colored-LEDs that go from green-to-red to raise users’ awareness of their consumption, based on water usage in real-time, reminding them to take shorter showers (the “nudge” effect).

HI USA hosts more than 1.15 million overnight guests annually and calculates that if each guest reduces his or her showering time by 30 seconds, the SmartShower program will save more than 1 million gallons of water annually.

“At HI USA we believe personal experiences create the highest impact, both now and in the future,” said Russ Hedge, HI USA CEO. “Through this initiative, guests receive real-time feedback on their showering routine and are empowered to reduce their water consumption in a fun, meaningful way. This initiative is designed to conveniently change showering habits at our hostels and when our guests return home.”

The smart LoRa HYDRAO showerheads track volume, temperature and water flow in real-time. That data is transmitted to the cloud via Kerlink’s Wirnet iFemtoCell LoRaWAN gateways, which were designed for reliable indoor IoT connectivity, and displayed in customers’ building-management systems or smartphones through HYDRAO’s web interface.

“Kerlink’s extensive experience in a wide variety of IoT network deployments around the world has proven the company to be a reliable and expert partner to deploy this kind of solution,” said Eric Burkel, co-founder and head of international development at HYDRAO. “Our joint project with HI USA shows the huge potential for water and energy conservation that our combined technologies and simple solutions offer the global hotel sector.”

“HI USA has chosen an innovative, instructive and user-friendly system to remind its guests to help reduce water use, and the energy required to heat it,” said Romain Weryk, Kerlink key account manager. “This deployment shows the way for other chains to tap into LoRaWAN technology to make better use of their assets, while reducing water and energy consumption – and operating costs.”

“We evaluated available IoT solutions to find the one that offered the simplest deployment, highest reliability, good return on investment and continual monitoring of water consumption. We chose HYDRAO’s platform and Kerlink’s gateways for our facilities because they offer a proven, reliable and smart solution that helps our customers monitor their water use and will help HI USA record and analyze water consumption across our chain of hostels.”

Russ Hedge, HI USA CEO