Water device 'saves 100,000 litres per year'

Reporter: Andrew Bourke
Broadcast Date: July 18, 2008

Geoffrey Foster wants to save Australia's water supply. Not only will you NOT notice you're using less water, but you'll be saving on your water bill.

His invention is the Waterfuse, a computer operated water saving system. Geoffrey believes the unit should be installed in every Australian home and if his numbers stack up, you'd be mad not to have one.

"The consumer can expect to save around a 100,000 litres per annum, Australia's economy can expect to save 4 billion litres per annum and globally this goes into the trillions" says Geoffrey.

So impressed were the judges at the international exhibition of inventors in Geneva, they awarded the Waterfuse the silver medal. He now has the attention of water conscious governments around the globe.

"There are many other governments that are interested, most notably Singapore, America, France, but particularly Spain. Spain is now trucking water in to one of their major centres; they've actually run out of water."

But Geoff's pleas to our own government have fallen on deaf ears.

"The product itself has won the major award globally, recognised for new products. I'd have expected they'd have beaten down the door, buts that's not the case."

His last creation was the Gasfuse, a product that shuts off gas during major leaks, but the government didn't listen to him on that idea either.

Gasfuse is now installed on around a billion gas bottles all over the world.

"We've poured everything out of that into the Waterfuse venture. It's about a $13 million investment.

It's got an electronic brain, a mechanical flow device that regulates the flow and it's got a software program specially designed to supply what's required but not waste any." explains Geoffrey.

If the federal government doesn't act, the Waterfuse and the 1500 jobs it could provide for Australians will go elsewhere.

"The industry's worth about $493 billion and we believe Australia could share in most of that," says Geoffrey.

For further information email gasfuse@bigpond.com