Reinventing the future of water and the energy it uses in the home

What is 50L Home?

50L Home is a holistic vision to transform building systems and communities for a water-efficient and low carbon future. Our vision is a future where 50L (13 gallons) of daily water consumption per person per day feels like 500L (132 gallons) at low carbon.

The coalition brings companies, civil society organizations, intergovernmental organizations, local governments and knowledge leaders together to develop, scale and implement innovations for systems level change in domestic urban water management as well as responsible and highly efficient water and energy usage in the home.

Watch this short video to learn how we are implementing these ideas in our first pilot project

Our added value

We envision a future where companies, policymakers, innovators, researchers and communities work together to reinvent urban water use to promote water security and reduce carbon emissions (by saving energy used to heat water) without compromising comfort and quality of life, making 50 liters per person per day feel like 500 liters.

This ambitious goal, if achieved at scale, could reduce energy consumption, accelerate the journey to net zero, and help alleviate household water and energy costs in cities around the world.

We hope to instill the importance of responsible water and energy consumption, making 50 liters of daily water use per person a reality. To achieve this and add value, we have four key focus areas:

Innovation

Advancing solutions to address the three R’s to water efficiency: reduce, recycle, and reuse water in homes, and within the wider urban water system.

Implementation

Collaborating on pilot projects in water-stressed cities and mobilizing local actors to learn and inform the path to global scale and replication.

Education

Knowledge is power, which is why reshaping peoples’ relationship with water will help inspire daily behavioral lifestyle changes that can bring effective change to our water crisis.

Advocacy

Advancing policy, regulatory and industry framework changes to transform home use and water supply or treatment.

Why action is needed

“Day Zero” is closer than you think. Two-thirds of the global population is projected to live in water-stressed areas by 2025. To add, nearly 60 percent of the global population is expected to live cities by 2030, which, in turn, means a higher demand for water in urban areas. On average, the energy required for household water use is approximately 18% of total energy use in the home, contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Without effective action and support now, many cities worldwide face the inevitability of their water sources running dry.

Los Angeles Pilot

Electrolux, IKEA, Kohler, and Procter & Gamble collaborate with USGBC CA to pilot water and energy-saving innovations in 30 Los Angeles homes, retrofitting 15 with advanced solutions.

Updates and Latest Developments

Join us on October 8th

Meet us in London to hear more about the learnings that came out of these discussions.

Deep-dive discussions on the Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus

We held three roundtables in London, UK throughout 2023 to explore how technology, customer behavior, and policy impacts this nexus in urban homes

Objectives

The roundtable discussions led us to turn our collective findings into useful resources for cities, states, and federal level government so that they can transform their water systems.

Outcomes

Findings from the roundtables are summarized in our action paper “Operationalizing Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus for Homes,” drafted with our partner ArcadisOn October 8th, we will introduce the paper at the University of East London with panel discussions from industry experts.

Annual board meeting

On May 12, 2024, 50L Home had its annual Board meeting in Phoenix convened by Mayor Kate Gallego and Victor Aguilar, Chief Research, Development and Innovation Officer at Procter & Gamble. Board members were informed of the accomplishments made over the past year and discussed steps to scale and bring more impact in the future.

Upcoming events

COP29
COP29, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. This annual international climate summit gathers world leaders, negotiators, and stakeholders to discuss and advance global climate action and policies.
From: November 11, 2024
To: November 22, 2024
World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day is an annual event on November 19th, aimed at raising awareness about the global sanitation crisis and advocating for improved sanitation facilities worldwide. Organized by the United Nations, it emphasizes the importance of safe and accessible toilets to health, dignity, and well-being.
Date: November 19, 2024
* 50L Home will be present at events where this logo appears

Resources

A circular water Future

White paper on how cities can integrate water reuse and transform their water systems

Energy Cost of Water

White paper exploring the embedded energy and carbon costs of water for Los Angeles

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