New York-based Hydrific has launched on Kickstarter a smart home water sensor designed to make water conservation easy and enjoyable.

The campaign will offer backers exclusive early access and the opportunity to help the future of water sustainability. Called Droplet, it has already received strong consumer interest, with over 1000 pre-orders and a subscriber base that has grown to more than 5000 people.

Droplet (www.hydrificwater.com/droplet) monitors water consumption in homes from a single point and provides users with real-time data and actionable insights in the seamlessly integrated mobile app. The Kickstarter launch empowers consumers to use water efficiently, reduce bills and prevent water damage.

Initial studies show that households can save up to 30% on water bills with the product installed. By supporting the campaign, backers will be among the first to experience Droplet’s capabilities and play a role in introducing this to market.

“The journey to the Kickstarter launch has been incredibly inspiring for everyone at Hydrific,” said Julia Deister, leader of Hydrific. “Fuelled by our team’s passion for sustainability and experience with technology, we aim to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their water use. Launching our Kickstarter campaign moves us one step closer to integrating Droplet into people’s daily lives. We are grateful for all the impactful partnerships and support in making Droplet a reality.”

Droplet’s development process involved research and testing, leveraging Mach49’s incubation framework and insights from the Tuck-Lixil programme (www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/news/articles/lixil-corp-partners-with-tuck-executive-education-for-custom-program). The team dedicated thousands of hours of ideation and prototyping, including homeowner interviews, storyboarding sessions and rapid prototyping, to ensure the product meets consumer needs. Furthermore, Droplet’s development has been enriched by the support of industry-wide partners such as the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), a non-profit organisation that champions water conservation.

“Water is the most urgent issue of this moment,” said Sarah Gutterman, CEO of Green Builder Media. “Advanced technologies that provide for our growing water quality and availability challenges are paramount. I’m thrilled to see user-friendly products like Droplet hitting the market that will enable homeowners to monitor their water usage, which will inevitably lead to water-conserving behavioural change.”

Hydrific (www.hydrificwater.com) is part of Lixil (www.lixil.com) and is dedicated to redefining water sustainability, empowering individuals with accessible information and tools to simplify water conservation.

The Kickstarter campaign runs until April 18 and can be found at www.kickstarter.com/projects/hydrific/droplet-smart-home-water-sensor.