Do you need a "smart" shower?

At a loss for how to be more environmentally friendly in the shower? Dutch startup Hamwells has the answer.

The company has built a shower that recycles water. The e-Shower, as it is being dubbed, sucks up the water that pools at the bottom of the shower and filters it, purifies it and pumps it out of the shower head again within seconds.

Water gets drawn up from the tray and passes through a filter that blocks water from going down the traditional drain. From there it mixes with fresh water to keep it warm. Then, the water passes through a UV lamp to kill all bacteria and viruses before flowing out of the shower head.

"[The e-Shower] uses every previous drop not once but about 7 times and by doing that we save about 80 percent on energy and about 90 percent on water" Hamwells' CMO Wouter Chömpff said as the company unveiled its e-Shower at TechCrunch Disrupt London, an event that brings investors and entrepreneurs together to promote new products and designs.

Like so many other things in our lives these days, the e-Shower can be connected to a smartphone or tablet to stream music and track how much water you are using and saving with the Hamwells app.

According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, showers are typically the third largest water use after toilets and washing machines in the average home. "The average American shower uses 17.2 gallons (65.1 liters) and lasts for 8.2 minutes at average flow rate of 2.1 gallons per minute (gpm) (7.9 lpm)," the group's website states. That could make such a device appealing in areas like California dealing with record drought conditions and restrictions on water use.

Although the price of the e-Shower is steep -- €2,950 ($3,190) -- the company says homeowners will make the money back within five years through savings in water and energy use. The product will be available for sale beginning June 2016.

"We are a true game changer," Chömpff said. "We make sustainable homes available for everyone."

The Hamwells e-Shower app tracks how much water you're saving. Hamwells/YouTube
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