“Showerkap was founded on a mission to leverage technology for the greater good.”
Our story began just over a year ago with a vision—the Showerkap valve—an invention poised to revolutionise the way we value one of our most precious resources and improve the choices we make in how we use it. Since then, we've achieved significant milestones, securing funding, obtaining critical patent approvals, starting the manufacturing process, winning over user audiences, and evolving our vision into the Showerkap comprehensive Water Management System. This system uniquely provides institutions, organisations, and businesses with means to monitor and manage water metrics in unprecedented detail and enables individual users to foster sustainable behaviour.
Our journey has been marked by breakthroughs in personalised water tracking, rigorous engineering testing, and insightful user behaviour research. Exploring Showerkap is more than just discovering a product—it's an opportunity to join an endeavour of significance that can help empower individuals, communities, and businesses to protect our invaluable natural assets and make a positive impact on the environment.
We invite you to explore our innovative solutions, learn about our journey, and join us as we shape a brighter, water-conscious future together.
Steve Harding CEO, Founder and Inventor, Showerkap
“We only think when confronted with a problem.”
— John Dewey 1913.
We're dedicated to reducing water consumption through technological innovation and behavioural change. By carving our innovation at the psychological joints of human decision-making, we aim to become 'choice architects.' While maintaining individual freedom, our approach gently nudges users towards better decisions regarding water and energy use. Founded in 2022 by lifelong engineer and inventor Steve Harding, Showerkap demonstrates how engineering, combined with behavioural science, can address water and energy wastage, ultimately contributing to lower costs and carbon dioxide emissions reduction.
We are at the forefront of this engineering philosophy, harnessing the power of behavioural science and choice architecture to effect change in the way people use water and energy. We are passionate about using our skills and knowledge to create cost-effective solutions to address critical environmental and societal challenges. By designing products that are intuitive and user-friendly, we are strong advocates for water conservation, improving water management and ultimately leading to a more sustainable future. Our innovative technology provides a unique solution to the challenges of water usage, not just by changing individual behaviour, but also by revolutionising monitoring and data capabilities.
Our website showcases how the world-first fade shower valve provides real-time water usage data, aligned with our monitoring and analytics platform. Coupled with our behavioural science practice for targeted nudges, it empowers both water users and consumers to swiftly make informed decisions and better choices.
“We are just 25 years away from the jaws of death. Water wastage needs to be socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in a baby's face or throwing plastic bags into the sea.”
— Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive, Environment Agency, 2019.
The issue of water sustainability is clear. Anyone doubting the seriousness of water scarcity need only read the headlines.
“Drought parches nearly half of EU stoking food production fears.”
“Beset by drought, China turned to coal to keep lights on.”
“Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires.”
“All of England’s South West region now in drought.”
“Record drought gripped much of the U.S. in 2022.”
Over half of us worry the UK will run dry within 25 years. The majority of us say we are willing to reduce water use for the sake of the environment.
Despite all this, showering is still the greatest source of water going down the drain* Our personal shower habits still lead to water waste, high costs and negative environmental impacts.
14-16, 21m
18-24, 11m 26s
25-34, 9m 10s
35-44, 8m 14s
45-54, 6m 46s
55-64, 5m 46s
Water is ranked among the top five global risks, with over 40% of the global population facing water scarcity and 25% confronted with "extremely high” water stress, making them vulnerable to droughts or increases in water use. Water scarcity and stress are not only personal concerns but also significant challenges for industries worldwide.
Companies and organisations have a responsibility to manage water consumption effectively, not only to protect the communities in which they operate but also to secure the future of their businesses. The value of water exceeds the price they pay, and they face significant pressure to meet sustainability targets, social responsibility objectives, and economic goals. By implementing water-saving technologies and adopting sustainable showering practices at scale they can reduce their environmental impact while ensuring the long-term viability of their businesses.
Hotels consume approximately 1,500 litres of water per room per day, a quantity that vastly exceeds the water usage of local populations in water-scarce destinations. Moreover, tourism activities can result in per capita water consumption rates up to eight times higher than those of the local population. The 2018 Cape Town water crisis exemplifies the repercussions, causing a $65 million shortfall in the hospitality industry due to water shortages.
Universities play a significant role in managing water consumption and safeguarding the communities in which they operate, as well as ensuring the sustainability of their own operations.
“The industry has a role managing water consumption, to protect communities in which they operate and the future of their businesses’.”
— Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Other industries with a critical role in managing water consumption and safeguarding communities with sustainable practices include: developers, institutions, businesses, hospitals, gym and leisure centres.
The urgency of water sustainability is undeniable. There's no singular solution; technology plays a vital role, but we also need a parallel transformation in our water consumption habits. We must rethink our relationship with water and strive to achieve more with less. The prevalence of behavioural water waste and profligate practices stems from bad habits, a lack of awareness, and a resistance to change.
“Most people agree that water, and the environment are important… they just want it to be easy to do their bit. We must find ever more imaginative ways to engage customers and water users”.
— Simon Cocks, Independent Chair, Water Resources South East – 2020.
The imperative of water sustainability is unquestionable. While engineering technology is crucial, it's not the sole solution. We must also undergo a transformation in our water usage. It's time to reassess our relationship with water and aim for greater efficiency. At Showerkap, we meet this challenge by uniquely combining three separate pillars – Nexus, Marshal and Ripple – to address the water and energy sustainability challenge through a holistic approach that integrates engineering, choice architecture, and behavioural science.
By combining these three pillars, Showerkap revolutionises the way we interact with water and energy. It goes beyond traditional engineering solutions by addressing the behavioural aspects of water usage, ultimately promoting a more sustainable and conscious approach to resource management.
At the heart of the Showerkap system is Nexus, a groundbreaking innovation designed by Steve Harding. Nexus is a unique valve that captures detailed water usage data, including flow, temperature and time. It incorporates a patented temperature fade system, gently simulating water running out to prompt users to exit the shower and reduce time spent showering.
Showerkap harnesses data to empower decision-making through its Marshal pillar. Detailed usage analytics captured by Nexus are sent to a cloud-based platform, providing property managers with systemic monitoring and macro-level insights into water and energy usage within a bathroom. This includes water safety monitoring, CO2 emissions tracking, and leak detection, accessible through user-friendly web app dashboards.
The behavioural science practice at Showerkap, known as Ripple, utilises data-driven, personalised ‘nudging’ techniques to empower users with control over their water usage. By leveraging insights from Nexus data, Ripple encourages users to recalibrate how they value and make better choices about water and energy consumption. This approach not only prompts individual behaviour change but also fosters broader consideration of sustainability choices.
It is simple: Long showers exacerbate water shortages and costs, while shorter showers conserve vital resources and money.
While projected savings per installation is crucial, the value and return on investment (ROI) of Showerkap extend significantly beyond this basic metric. As an entire Water Management System and Toolset for Behaviour Change, its strength lies in recognising and addressing diverse audience perspectives, tailoring the message, and building value proposition for specific stakeholders to amplify Showerkap’s impact.
Showerkap is a financially beneficial solution for businesses, emphasising savings, cost reductions, and revenue growth opportunities. This addresses the core needs of businesses seeking efficient water and energy management. At its simplest level, this can be measured through projected savings at the shower, per installation.
2.2 m kg
415 m litres
£2 m
1.2 m kg
227 m litres
£1.1 m
Eco-conscious consumers value Showerkap’s environmental benefits, aligning with sustainability. This positions Showerkap as an investment with positive ecological impact, attracting audiences interested in environmentally responsible solutions. By the same single valve installation, the measure here is the global environmental impact measured against projected savings per installation will save 1586 kgCO2, 295650 litres of water and 8574 Kw/H energy.
Property owners benefit from Showerkap’s risk mitigation features, preventing water damage and ensuring compliance. Investing in Showerkap becomes a strategic move for those seeking to safeguard their property assets and mitigate potential risks.
The Increased Water Management Operational Efficiency. Property managers will also benefit from the considerable cost savings of Showerkap's water management and improved operational efficiency, monitoring detailed water use, improving efficiencies, mitigating threats and concerns like leak monitoring, environmental health risk (Legionella) compliance, and reducing maintenance burden. This Measure of Value translates into significant cost savings and streamlined operations.
Socially responsible brands find high value in Showerkap's unique ability to influence user consumer behavioural change and deliver measurable sustainability campaigns to win new customers. The value measures here are set against reducing the significant costs of conventional sales, marketing customer acquisition and retention.
“In a digital age consumers expect a higher level of service & information to help make day to day decisions quickly. Having water use data at the fingertips alongside targeted nudges to help save water is the way forward.”
— Nathan Richardson, Head of Policy, Waterwise. 2021.
Changing what people think by coercion or persuasion is expensive and rarely works. Instead, we harness evidence-based ‘nudging’ strategies rooted in behavioural science and heuristics to promote sustainable behaviours while respecting users' autonomy. Our approach leverages insights from behavioural economics to motivate users to adopt eco-friendly behaviours voluntarily. ‘Nudging’ is proven effective in influencing behaviour change, as evidenced by studies in choice architecture, behavioural economics experiments, real-world applications, and policy impact.
Our open ‘nudge’ policy prioritises clarity of purpose, respect for freedom of choice, and positive reinforcement to empower users to make informed decisions aligned with their preferences and values. We embrace a ‘nudge’ policy aimed at achieving positive outcomes by gently guiding users towards sustainable water and energy practices while respecting their freedom of choice. Our approach is informed by behavioural science principles, leveraging data analytics and tailored ‘nudges’ to encourage voluntary adoption of sustainable habits. We emphasise positive reinforcement and align our ‘nudges’ with users' preferences and motivations, ensuring a cost-effective and scalable solution for promoting water and energy conservation.
The Ripple effect: Ethical ‘nudging’ benefits individuals by empowering them to make informed choices aligned with their values and preferences, fostering a sense of autonomy and responsibility. When individuals make sustainable choices, it creates a ripple effect, influencing others around them to do the same. This collective behaviour change contributes to broader sustainability efforts, ultimately leading to positive impacts on communities and the environment.
Our vision revolves around making the “two-degree shift”. The profound impact that small changes can have on our journey towards water conservation and sustainability. Just as a slight adjustment in direction can alter the course of a journey, making incremental changes in how we value and preserve water can lead to significant outcomes. We aim to inspire individuals and communities to embrace small but meaningful actions that collectively contribute to a more water-conscious world —one drop at a time.
Experienced, passionate engineer, entrepreneur and business owner with over 37 years track record of success in the design, manufacture and supply of high-precision moulding solutions for: aerospace, maritime and offshore, defence, and environmental services industries. Expert in providing bespoke solutions, including product design, manufacturing of injection moulding tools and high-volume production.
A world-class brand and business strategist, Kevin specialises in guiding purpose-driven entrepreneurs and small business owners to transition from ‘what’ to ‘why’. With over 30 years’ experience as business leader, working across borders of demographics, industry sectors and geography, he helps businesses develop, define and hone their strategy and their products. He enables them to create deeper connections with customers and to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
A results-driven sales director with a proven track record of driving revenue growth and building successful teams. Skilled in business-to-business (B2B) negotiations, team and sales management, Carly brings extensive experience as a Cluster Sales Manager for Arora, Sofitel and Hilton hotels. She is committed to driving customer satisfaction and building long-term relationships.
Dan leads the mechanical design team in the development and production of next-generation innovative shower systems, to both save water and reduce energy use. An experienced technical director, he has 35 years’ experience in product design and a proven track record of developing and implementing products from concept to manufacture.
With a background in technical engineering and water industry experience spanning more than 20 years, Paul leads the delivery of technical products and development of essential services infrastructure. In addition, he spearheads the technical support development and plays a vital role in the company’s market expansion globally.
A former journalist, for the past 30 years Cathy has been helping technology, healthtech and not-for-profit organisations to elevate their brands and to reach new audiences through effective PR and communication campaigns. As part of her role at Showerkap, she leads the media outreach programme, sharing the company’s unique stories and working with journalists as part of the wider marketing approach.
Experienced senior finance professional with a proven record of management experience gained over a range of sectors but with a focus on consistent delivery to timelines at a corporate level. With a hands-on approach, Derek has developed significant transferable expertise across a range of sectors and companies, consistently adapting to changing business circumstances and troubleshooting with a meticulous and thorough approach to accomplishing tasks.
Responsible for all aspects of the production process in the region. Over 16 years experience in high-tech manufacturing industry, ensuring products meet high standards. Extensive experience in production management and a proven track record of success, able to effectively manage teams and implement best practices to optimise operations and drive business growth.
