Bilan interview: Droople strengthens water intelligence

Originally published in Bilan (Leaders section), November 2022, pages 64–65. Interview by Matthieu Hoffstetter.

Under the headline “Droople muscle l’intelligence de l’eau”, Swiss business magazine Bilan met Ramzi Bouzerda, founder and CEO of Droople, to discuss how better knowledge of water use can make it more rational.

How the system works

Droople installs a network of IoT sensors on water pipes and at points of use: sanitary fittings, appliances, water heaters and water treatment systems in commercial and industrial buildings. The data feeds an artificial intelligence layer that learns from these usage patterns and supports decision-making.

Concrete benefits discussed

• Hot water: in large rental buildings with decentralised water heaters, keeping water hot while waiting for someone to use it wastes around 20% of the energy on that item. Predicting when showers are taken lets the boiler heat water at the right time.
• Leaks: Ramzi Bouzerda cites around USD 30 billion of annual costs linked to water leaks and damage in buildings worldwide. The platform localises losses so their source can be found faster.
• Hygiene: knowing where water has stagnated means only the outlets concerned need flushing to manage Legionella risk.
• Real estate: certifications and standards such as ESG, BREEAM and LEED push owners to go beyond the water bill.

Partners, data and business model

The interview mentions Droople’s collaboration with Lucerne-based meter manufacturer GWF, and the principle that customers keep ownership of their data while granting Droople a right to use it. At the time, Droople reported a return on investment of under a year, a team of 15 people, mostly from EPFL, and more than 80 customers across Western Europe, North America and Asia, with plans to grow in Europe and the United States.

Figures reflect the situation at the time of publication (2022).