Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Closed-loop recirculating shower
Needs the grid
One of 4 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
A shower that catches its own water as it drains, cleans it on the spot and sends it back through the shower head, adding only a little fresh water. Because the returning water is still hot, it saves energy as well as water: its maker claims about 90% less water. But it is proprietary, and if it breaks there is no shower at all.
Build it
This solution is not buildable as a DIY project.
Cost
High
Upkeep
Seasonal
Skill to build
Specialist
Lifespan
10-15 years for the pump/filtration/UV/control system, a proprietary, specialist-repair-only mechanism per its own description, likely toward the shorter end of comparable appliance lifespans
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Closed-loop recirculating shower (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: High · Skill to build: Specialist · Upkeep: Heavy · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want to cut each shower’s water and heat sharply without changing how you shower.
Gravity-fed shower Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want a shower fed from your own tank that works with no pump.
Pressurised mains-fed shower/bath Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the ordinary shower or bath, at full pressure.
Misting shower Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the least water and energy of any shower, for little money.
Sources
Green Lodging News / Smithsonian / BuildWithRise, reporting Orbital Systems (manufacturer) figures
Limitations of this page
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.