Drop it - Efficient water use in households

Households account for a significant portion of the usage, and both technical solutions and behavioral changes could reduce consumption.
The purpose of the project is to contribute to resource-efficient water use and reduce the risk of water scarcity by implementing and evaluating combinations of solutions for reduced water use in households. This will create knowledge about the effects, feasibility, and how solutions can be combined to determine what can provide the greatest water savings at a national level.

The project moves forward through collaborations between various actors in the drinking water value chain. In four case studies with residents in houses and apartment buildings, both established and newer technical solutions for reduced water use will be tested in combination with communication solutions to influence behaviors. This will be complemented by a couple of small-scale studies exploring solutions with a lower maturity level. The results will be analyzed from a systems perspective to understand the interaction between technical solutions, communication, and behaviors, to provide recommendations on how combinations of solutions can be used to reduce water use without leading to other negative effects.

Case Studies

The four case studies are in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halmstad Municipality, Värmdö Municipality, and HSB Living Lab in Gothenburg. Households in each case study are divided into groups where some will receive technical installations, some will receive targeted communication, some will receive a combination of these, and some will receive neither to serve as an unaffected comparison group.

During 2024, technical installations were carried out in selected households at HSB Living Lab, and in 2025, technical installations will continue in the other case studies. The targeted communication includes information about the new technology in the affected households, but also information about their current water consumption as well as advice for saving water.

Want to join? 

Our small-scale case studies are continuously seeking innovative ideas and solutions – do you have one that you would like to test within the scope of the project? Get in touch with us through this form.

We are looking for additional partners who want to be involved in testing and evaluating future water-saving solutions by creating a test environment – you could be a municipality, property owner, or another organization. If you're interested in setting up a test environment with us, fill out this form.