Sustainability and water conservation were two of the main trends seen at the 2023 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. One Canadian-based company is tackling water efficiency starting with the top water guzzling appliance in the home — the shower. RainStick Shower co-founders Alisha McFetridge and Sean McFetridge share a longtime passion for water conservation. In 2019, the two began building the North American Market’s first water circulating shower. Supply House Times Chief Editor Natalie Forster sat down with Alisha McFetridge to dive into RainStick Shower’s backstory and plans for the future.

NF: WHY SHOULD HOMEOWNERS AND HOME BUILDERS BE CONSCIOUS OF SHOWER WATER CONSUMPTION IN THE HOME?
AM: When it comes to water conservation, there are significant problems in the home today. About 100 liters - or 25 gallons - of water is utilized during a 10 minute shower. To put that into perspective, it’s is about 250 water bottles, just during a 10 minute shower. Showering accounts for approximately one-third of water bills and one third of energy bills for most homeowners.

Homeowners should care because not only is it costing a lot of money over the life of the shower, but it's water intensive, and we're seeing scarcity across the U.S. right now.

We've had the same showering appliance since the 1800s — that's why the idea for RainStick Shower developed. To date we haven't seen much innovation to save water in the shower. There are a lot of problems and it's time we take this seriously and do so much more.