Do you know how much water you use every day? Quantum is a tap that measures your water consumption and allows you to control it easily.

The Quantum tap is not activated by turning a knob or lifting a lever, but rather by pulling up a pump-action handle. Scaled markings on the stem of the handle indicate the amount of water that will be released by pulling the handle to a specific correlating height. The user can choose how much water they wish to use and pull the handle up to that height.

Consumer tests surveying the use of taps have revealed a huge discrepancy between perceived and actual water consumption. Quantum was therefore designed to give the user a feeling for the amounts used, and to encourage the change of water-wasting behaviours. The requirement to choose the amount of water one will consume before using the tap encourages the consumption of as little water as possible. It also encourages the use of even less water next time. Furthermore, based on one’s experience with the Quantum tap, consumers will be able to better gauge how much water they are drawing from regular taps.

The designers felt that the method had to be simple and entirely analog, because just presenting usage information is not enough to really change behaviour. The shape of the tap follows the stream of water, highlighting the inlet, outlet, and handle. After the handle is pulled out, it starts moving down slowly until it finally cuts off the water.