Case Story
Detect toilet leaks in Housing Complexes
Aguardio leak sensors to save a minimum 30 million litres of water, equivalent to savings of EUR 270,000 (or DKK 2 million annually)*, for residents of Denmark’s fourth-largest housing company
*Based on achieving the minimum project target. Actual savings are likely to be significantly higher.
Overview
Boligselskabet Sjælland, Denmark’s 4th largest housing company, partnered with Aguardio to tackle water waste from running toilets. The housing company ordered 12,000 Aguardio sensors to be deployed in stages, with each stage’s insights informing the next. The first 660 sensors yielded positive results, leading to the deployment of another 3,000 sensors with plans for the next rollout already underway. The housing company estimates that achieving the project’s minimum target of detecting 4% leaking toilets will save the residents of its 12,000 apartments around EUR 270,000 or DKK 2 million annually. However, savings are likely to be much higher since typically 10-20% of toilets are found to be leaking in housing complexes.
Challenge
Running toilets are a significant problem for Boligselskabet Sjælland, causing water waste and expensive bills for residents. The case of a tenant who received a recalculation of 9,400 EUR due to a running toilet prompted Ulrik Eggert Knuth-Winterfeldt, Team Leader for Sustainability and Energy, to contact Aguardio and seek a solution because he could not find products on the market that could prevent such cases.
To tackle the common and unfortunate problem of tenants receiving unexpectedly high water bills due to undetected leaking toilets or not taking action when toilets are visibly leaking, 3,660 Aguardio leak sensors were installed in residents’ bathrooms during the company’s yearly 20-minute service visits. With each sensor installation taking just 30 seconds, despite being budgeted for 1 minute, our sensors were mounted on the water connection at the back of each toilet and could detect temperature changes in the water when a toilet was flushed, accurately distinguishing between a flush and a running toilet. When a running toilet was detected, our sensors triggered an alarm, alerting the residents to address the issue promptly by calling the service staff. The tenants can pause the sound alarm by pushing a small button on the side of the sensor.
How Aguardio Helped
Results
Aguardio’s Leak Sensors have proven highly effective in detecting running toilets and assisting residents in conserving water and reducing their water bills. Based on the successful outcome achieved through the installation of 3660 sensors, the rest of the 12,000 sensors are set to be deployed in subsequent stages, paving the way for widespread water conservation efforts.
Estimated Impact
If 4% of 12,000 Toilets were Found to be Leaking
(Min Project Target)
€270,000
or DKK 2 Million savings per year
30 Million Litres
of clean water savings per year
Estimated Impact - if 10% of 12,000 Toilets Found to be Leaking
(Most Likely)
€674,000
or DKK 5 Million savings per year
75 Million Litres
of clean water savings per year
Estimated Impact - if 20% of 12,000 Toilets Found to be Leaking
(Based on US Toilet Data)
€1,348,000
or DKK 10 Million savings per year
150 Million Litres
of clean water savings per year
