Water scarcity is not a future problem. The Environment Agency has already warned that England faces a five billion litre a day shortfall in public water supply by 2055 without urgent action. The UN ranks water scarcity among the planet’s top five environmental risks. And most of us in the UK still think of it as someone else’s problem because it rains here.
Showerkap is working to change that, starting in the places where water waste is most concentrated and most measurable: hotels and universities. Their patented temperature fade technology combines engineering innovation with behavioural science to cut shower times, reduce water and energy use, and give building operators real-time data on exactly what is happening across their estate.
We spoke to Carly Hunt, Showerkap’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, about how the technology works, what the early trial results look like, and why changing behaviour at scale requires making the experience feel like a choice rather than a restriction.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role?
I’m Carly Hunt, Showerkap’s Head of Strategic Partnerships. My role includes working with organisations to progress water resilience projects and collaborations. Currently we have two trials running of the Showerkap water management system, with the Sandman Signature London Gatwick Hotel and in the University of Surrey’s student flats.
Previously, I spent 20 years working in the hotel industry for large brands, and my role in sales was very centred around ESG, leading to me being selected to be CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) champion. In this role, I also helped educate staff and guests on sustainable practices and it made me acutely aware of the amount of water we waste in hotels, and the potential to change that.
When I was approached by Steve Harding the founder and CEO of Showerkap, I immediately bought into what he was trying to achieve and I wanted to use my skills to help address the growing problem of water scarcity.
What was the motivation behind Showerkap?
Showerkap was founded in 2022 after Steve Harding became aware in lockdown how much water is wasted at home and in businesses and how difficult it is to measure. As an engineer and problem solver, he set his mind to helping to find a solution, which in turn, would also help address the wider issue of the global water crisis.
He used his engineering know-how to create the first smart water management technology and that led to Showerkap’s patented “temperature fade” technology featuring behavioural science, to significantly cut water, energy and CO2 emissions.
What sets Showerkap apart is that it blends engineering innovation with behavioural science. It’s not just about measuring usage, it’s about changing habits at scale.
Can you describe Showerkap’s mission and values?
At its heart, Showerkap is about making water sustainability simple and effective. By combining behavioural nudges with cutting-edge technology, it’s helping businesses to save money, cut emissions, and to use water more responsibly, all while giving people a better understanding of the true value of this vital resource.
We try to educate people wherever possible and to partner with like-minded organisations to spread the message about saving water. We can all play our part in making water use sustainable. Water scarcity doesn’t have to be inevitable.
What are some of the most pressing social issues that Showerkap is working to address through its technology?
The Showerkap team is constantly driven by the facts and figures around water scarcity, the stories about hosepipe bans locally and water shortages abroad, but the water scarcity issue is also very much one that affects the UK, which we don’t always realise because historically we have been a nation of rain. A combination of spiralling water use, rising populations and very little rain for much of 2025 prompted the Environment Agency to issue stark warnings that England faces a five billion litres a day shortfall in our public water supply by 2055, unless we take urgent action.
This is a now problem, not a future one, where we need to adopt and implement changes. Water scarcity is ranked by the UN as one of the planet’s top five environmental risks, and carbon emissions, which occur when most of us heat water, are acknowledged as the biggest driver of climate change.
How does your company measure the impact of its work in creating positive change?
The solution supports operational teams with real-time reports, analysing, reporting and improving water use and efficiency and highlighting any potential safety risks and waste.
The first trial with the Sandman Signature London Gatwick Hotel has already shown that guests using the green tech have cut water use by up to 58%. This potentially equates to saving around 574,000 litres of water each month in total for the whole hotel and a significant reduction in the hotel’s carbon footprint.
It creates the natural sensation of hot water running out, gently encouraging shorter showers. Paired with smart IoT sensors and real-time data, it gives hotels, universities, and other large buildings both insight and control over water and energy use.
The platform uses a unique valve, which carries out the patented temperature fade, and by simulating hot water running out, prompts the user to finish their shower earlier. At the same time, the valve smartbox relays captured usage data to a cloud-based platform and a web app provides users with detailed analytics. Focusing on information such as total water usage, costs and CO2 emissions, it allows detailed classification of water outlets and offers a suite of sophisticated leak detection tools and alerts. Alongside the analytics, the same data forms the basis of the system’s unique set of behavioural nudge tools, encouraging more sustainable user decision making.
In your opinion, what impact will technology have in creating a better future?
I think technology has and will continue to play a key part in helping to bring about a more sustainable future, with far-reaching changes for us all.
In the sectors of hospitality and accommodation and across many other industries, we know that many want to do their bit to address some of the pressing problems we are facing and operate in a more environmentally-friendly way, but until now there weren’t the tools available to easily address the problem of water waste. Innovation and behavioural tools change that and make it both possible and a fun way to conserve water, while empowering the user.
We have innovative new technology to drive change, but we also need a collaborative approach and a change of mindset across businesses to achieve this. Working collectively is key. We need that ripple effect to be felt across legislation and infrastructure to accelerate change at scale.
We know there’s a big difference between having something forced on you and you making a choice and we know from studies that for behavioural change to be effective you have to empower people to be able to choose, or the changes won’t stick.
From the outset we wanted to work with people and make them part of the solution. We wanted the experience to be a fun and pleasurable way to address a serious problem, rather than greenwashing. We also wanted people to be rewarded for using less water and energy and for reducing their carbon footprint with an option to create gamification tools. Potentially, in the future, we can have students in university halls competing with students in other campus buildings to be greener.
For us the sheer number of universities and their associated buildings and the people living and studying there means we can have a big impact on helping to bring about the change needed.
Our aim is to lead a global movement to transform showering and water management habits, empowering students and other users to make better choices and creating a ripple effect for other sustainable decisions.
We would also be helping these institutions to operate more sustainably. Universities have targets to meet around operating as environmentally as possible and universities across the UK backed government aims to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, as part of efforts to combat the global climate emergency.
Similarly with hotels, we are influencing guest and staff behaviour, making people more aware of the issues around water scarcity and the importance of reducing CO2 emissions. We hope more hotels will follow suit and adopt this new model of operating and communicating closely with guests to leave less of a carbon footprint. We would like it to become the new norm in the industry.
What advice do you have for other companies looking to use tech for good and positively impact the world?
In addition to having a great business idea, the first step of any company should be to protect its Intellectual Property before discussing it with anyone, so apply for patents. This should also help to secure investment in the longer term.
Once you are sure the product can be protected, start to involve others with experience that you don’t have. Building a strong commercial model is key. This involves a lot of market research and assessing the product from all aspects to validate it. The ROI is the challenge, especially if it’s an emerging market. Add features and operability to improve the ROI, which enhances the original unique selling proposition.
Throughout this development time, you should also be building your brand, especially as a company using tech for good. Sharing consistent messages about your mission and key news with media, opinion pieces on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, commentary and speaker opportunities all help establish you as a thought leader.
Having a strong brand identity and presence in your market also helps to attract investment.
As a purpose-led business tackling the problem of water scarcity, we 100 per cent believed in our mission and we were also addressing one of the UN’s global risks, but initially it proved challenging to convince others, because we were new and the technology was unproven. We are firm believers that only through collaboration and combined focus will far-reaching change happen, so don’t be afraid to work with others and to share experiences, even with a competitor.
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The 58% reduction in water use at the Gatwick hotel trial is the number worth sitting with. That is not a marginal efficiency gain. It is a fundamental shift in behaviour, achieved not through restriction but through a nudge so subtle that the user barely notices it. The temperature fade mechanic is clever precisely because it does not feel like being told what to do.
Carly’s point about empowerment versus enforcement is one that runs through the best tech-for-good work. Behaviour change that sticks is behaviour change that people feel they chose. Showerkap is a good example of what that looks like in practice.
You can find out more about Showerkap at showerkap.com.
Global Good covers technology built for positive impact across People, Health, and Planet. If you would like to be featured in an Impact Interview, get in touch at globalgood.tech.
