Every week, "La Tribune" turns the spotlight on a little-known nugget of French Tech. This week, it's InMan. Launched in 2016, this Alsace-based startup is developing an electronic mixing valve to reduce water wastage in the shower. InMan has come up with a system that provides the right temperature and optimal flow rate from the very first drops.

Running the water in the shower for long minutes before reaching the ideal temperature? Nonsense for InMan. Launched in 2016 in Wingersheim, near Strasbourg, the start-up is developing an electronic mixing valve that provides the desired temperature and flow rate from the very first drops.

"On average, it takes between 20 and 30 seconds to obtain hot water with a traditional system - that's as many liters of drinking water wasted!" says Gilles Chantelot, co-founder of InMan alongside Cédric Arbogast. "So we wanted to optimize water consumption in habitats to reduce wastage, and to do that, we had to innovate technically in showers and sinks."
It took two years of research and development before we were able to patent this electronic mixing valve, called InSens. "Our system replaces traditional mechanical fittings. All controls are operated from a digital panel", explains the co-founder.

In concrete terms, sensors integrated into the digital panel detect when a person enters the shower. The interface lights up and requests the desired temperature to the nearest half-degree. The user must then wait between 15 and 30 seconds - without the water running - for the temperature to adjust. Once the water has heated up, the mixer signals this to the user, who can then turn on the shower whenever he or she wishes.

Reduce water flow
This mixer comes with a standard 8-liter reservoir, which can be calibrated from 5 to 16 liters. "The tank is filled with hot water that has become cold between uses. This is the water that passes between the hot-water tank and the shower: the further away the tank is, the more water is normally lost," explains Gilles Chantelot. "This water recovery will enable us to obtain mixed water. In theory, water at 38 degrees is the result of water heated to 55 degrees by a hot water tank, then cooled by mains water. Instead of using mains water, our system uses the reservoir. When the tank empties during a long shower, the system automatically switches to mains water, without the user noticing.

In addition to simply setting the temperature, InSens also lets you choose the optimum water flow rate. "By default, the normal flow rate is 8 liters per minute. It can be configured by the user from 5 liters per minute up to 10 liters per minute, for shampooing long hair for example", explains the co-founder.

Sensors built into the interface can also detect when a person steps back from the shower - typically to lather up - so that the water flow can be stopped or reduced according to consumption habits.

"We wanted to reduce water consumption without compromising user comfort," explains Gilles Chantelot, before adding: "InMan can reduce the volume of water consumed in the shower by up to 70%, depending on the settings".

Between 350 and 400 euros saved per year.

All in all, a family of 4 saves an average of 350 to 400 euros a year on its water and energy bill, according to the Alsace-based start-up. This is because each member of the family can save his or her own settings in the mixer. Simply select your profile once in the shower to find your preferences. "We are in the process of developing an application that will enable you to save your settings from a smartphone", says Gilles Chantelot.

There is some reluctance to share data, but this is a specifically French problem," says the co-founder. "InMan only uses the data collected to understand water consumption and to be able to innovate technically. All data is anonymized and stored on servers in Alsace."

InSens has been in the pre-commercialization phase since October 2019, for an official market launch during March 2020. "Our product as such is intended for France, and even neighboring countries. To attack the international market in the long term, we're relying more on white-label and co-branding mechanisms with major faucet players", explains Gilles Chantelot.

The price, which is still under review, is expected to be in the region of 2,800 euros.

"Our product is high-end. That's why we have strong traction with professionals, such as the hotel industry, who see two benefits: offering a user experience and getting a return on investment," says the co-founder. "We're also targeting CSP+ families with a strong ecological conscience."

Plans to raise funds by 2021

The startup, which is not yet profitable, does not disclose its sales figures. Currently staffed by its two co-founders, InMan hopes to recruit three more employees this year. The Alsace-based company already has new projects in the pipeline: it hopes to replicate its system on washbasins, sinks and bathtubs by the end of the year. Still in 2020, she hopes to have the first prototypes of a "staggered hot water production system". "90% of the hot water consumed in a house comes from the shower. That's why it can act as a pilot for intelligent hot water production", says the co-founder.

"Currently, hot water production in France is rather static: every night, the same volume of water is heated, regardless of the occupancy rate of the dwelling. And yet, in a home, 30% of energy consumption is used to produce water - so there's a lot of waste", he points out.

InMan intends to use the data collected in the shower to deduce the occupancy rate and identify recurring uses. " For example, we'll be able to deduce that in a house, the children simply come home at the weekend, and our system will produce only the volume of water needed," asserts Gilles Chantelot. To expand, the start-up plans to raise 1.5 million euros by 2021.

Source : https://www.latribune.fr/technos-medias/innovation-et-start-up/la-startup-de-la-semaine-inman-un-mitigeur-connecte-pour-reduire-le-gaspillage-d-eau-837561.html