SINGAPORE - National water agency PUB is seeking proposals for the supply of smart shower devices for 10,000 new homes.

The devices will track the amount of water used during a shower in real time. A study PUB conducted with the National University of Singapore showed that a person could save up to five litres of water a day using such devices.

"The successful use of such devices can potentially help households save about 3 per cent of their monthly water bill," PUB said in a press release on Thursday (April 27).

PUB said it also hopes to tap on innovative ideas from the industry to improve the features of existing smart shower devices available in the market.

This includes exploring alternative ways of providing real time feedback on water consumption. The agency also wants to find ways to link the device with smart phones, tablets and laptops so users can download the data on water consumption to their devices and monitor it over time.

The request for proposal will be launched on Friday and will close at the end of May. The Smart Shower programme is slated to start in 2018.

"Showering typically comprises 29 per cent of a household's monthly water consumption. There is great potential to achieve substantial savings if we can change the user's behaviour during his or her shower time," said Mr Michael Toh, PUB's director of water supply (network).

This is one of the initiatives announced in March by the Government to help Singaporeans reduce water usage. The other involves replacing non water-efficient toilet bowls in old Housing Board flats.