Energy and waterInnovationDesign sprintPortugal

Water efficiency in Portugal, from resident research to AQUA+

ADENE, Portugal’s energy agency, wanted a program to bring water efficiency to buildings, with buy-in from the people who use water every day. Tog, then called Tog Design, ran the research and a five-day design sprint together with Productized. One of the outcomes was the formalization of AQUA+, the system that rates the water efficiency of buildings.

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ADENE team and facilitators in a room with walls covered in sticky notes, sketches and ideas from the design sprint

The challenge

In buildings alone, up to 30% of the water used could be saved. ADENE’s question was how to reach that potential with a program that residents, retailers and service businesses would want to adopt.

The program needed a business model that created value for everyone involved and that the public would accept and value.

What we did

From conversations with the people who use the water to presenting the first results at a national conference.

The research

In-depth interviews and contextual observation in homes and workplaces in Lisbon. The focus was on understanding consumption habits through qualitative exploration. Each interview became a profile sheet with facts, saving habits, the biggest sources of waste and recommendations.

Research sheets profiling a Portuguese family, a co-living resident and an independent resident, with blurred photos and quotes — Research sheets. The people interviewed are blurred.

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Hands washing dishes in a sink during contextual observation

Cat drinking water from a sink faucet, photographed in one of the homes visited

The design sprint

Five days of intensive work combining business strategy, innovation, design thinking and behavioral science to design and test new business models in a short time.

Facilitator presenting to the group in a workshop room

Participant explaining ideas in front of a wall of sticky notes connected by lines

Design sprint outcome

AQUA+

The design sprint made it possible to formalize AQUA+, a voluntary system for assessing and rating the water efficiency of buildings, created by ADENE to promote efficient water use.

Beyond rating building performance, AQUA+ guides good practice in the design of new buildings and in renovations, encouraging equipment, systems and solutions that use less water.

Learn about AQUA+ADENE website

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Finalist in 2022

Finalist at the FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards

In 2022, AQUA+ was shortlisted for the awards run by the Financial Times and the IFC, part of the World Bank Group, in the Transformational Solutions, New Frontiers category. It was the first time a Portuguese initiative reached the final.

Potential estimated by ADENE for the tourism sector alone, per year:

4 billion litersof water saved
20 GWhof energy, the use of about 5,000 homes
3,000 tonnesof direct CO₂ emissions avoided

Sources:AQUA+ no Financial Times O Instalador Público Imobiliário

Água & Energia 2018 conference

On December 18, 2018, ADENE and Diário de Notícias, part of the Global Media group, held the Água & Energia 2018 conference with authorities and representatives of the water and energy sectors in buildings.

The first results of the H2 Design project were presented there: mapping and idea generation, spreading the best solutions, and the adoption of more efficient behaviors by consumers.

See the conference on the ADENE website

What this case study shows

Listening to the people who use it every day changes how a public program is designed.

Have a challenge that needs research and testing?

We start with a conversation and, if it makes sense, a short round of research with the people who will use it.

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