As California faces its worst drought on record, a start-up in Irvine, CA has developed a new system called SmartFaucets, a patented technology that combines the motion sensor faucets with an electronic touchpad with preset temperature and timer to override the sensor when it fails. This new system has been field tested by Marymount University of California to save 40% water plus corresponding gas, electric, paper towels and trash.

“A lot of water is wasted adjusting that water temperature. The SmartFaucets offers 4 Preset touch temperature buttons to help eliminate water wastage,” said Joanna Boey, Founder and Inventor of SmartFaucets.  “With a U.S. flow rate at one gallon per minute, a six-second adjustment of that water temperature, ten times a day means one gallon of water is wasted.”

n Dental Association most people spend one to two minutes brushing their teeth. SmartFaucets has a default timer of 5 seconds to cut off that water supply when not necessary. Brushing teeth twice a day means saving two gallons of water. With the water shortage in California, three gallons of savings per person per day means 1000 gallons of water saved.

“The SmartFaucets is perfect for hotels and the hospital industry. As an example, a 100-room hotel will help save 100,000 gallons of water. With several thousand hotels in California alone this means several billions of gallons of water saved using SmartFaucets,” Boey added. “With the current acute water shortage problem, auto shut off faucets will soon be a daily necessity. Unfortunately, the only electronic auto shut off faucets is the motion sensor faucets, often fails, hence, they are typically seen in public restrooms with multiple sinks, not in places with only one sink.”

By combining the smart touchpad with the motion sensor faucets, SmartFaucets can now be installed in places with only one sink. This new technology is perfect for a hotel or hospital room.  SmartFaucets uses rechargeable hydroelectric powered battery and need only be charged for half hour by hotel/hospital cleaning staff for 2000 uses or one month if used 50 times a day.