By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
Devices like the EcoCamel help families reduce water use and save money after Water Authority price hikes.
As the Water Authority continues to warn that conservation is absolutely essential, more and more water saving devices are beginning to penetrate the Israeli market. Attend any cleantech exhibition and an abundance of water saving showerheads are being featured.
One example is the British-made EcoCamel, which recently underwent testing by the Standards Institute of Israel. In comparison with a standard faucet, the EcoCamel saved 44.3 percent or 5.25 liters of water per minute. The EcoCamel mixes air with the water to maintain a steady pressure while reducing the actual amount of water which comes out.
EcoCamel has already signed deals with several hotel chains as well as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem. According to the company’s public relations firm, the Construction and Housing Ministry has also put in an order as have aircraft industry employees. TushTush Yazamiot, which is run by Tzvika Gonen, former CEO of Arkia International, is the sole importer.
As water prices have risen some 30% since the start of the year, water saving devices on faucets as well as water saving showerheads are becoming economical measures as well as ecological ones. Relatively inexpensive water-saving devices can be purchased to be put on faucets, and the Water Authority is in the midst of a tender to provide families with two of the devices which go on faucets for free.
The difference between the devices that attach to a faucet and the showerheads is water pressure. The small faucet devices merely reduce the overall flow with a corresponding drop in water pressure. Showerheads like the Eco- Camel attempt to maintain the water pressure while reducing the amount of water actually used. At least one startup is working on faucet water saving devices which don’t reduce water pressure, so you can get that dirty dish cleaned more easily.
The standards institute evaluation calculated that a family of four could save as much as 50,000 liters of water a year.
According to the Water Authority, 35% of a family’s water use is in the shower. Furthermore, the Authority has cautioned the public that the next three years are likely to be dry ones and that until all of the desalination plants begin operations in 2013, conservation is still absolutely imperative. Three plants have already begun operating, and three more are to be built in the next two to three years.
http://www.jpost.com/HealthAndSci-Tech/ScienceAndEnvironment/Article.aspx?id=181985