If you’ve tried a low-flow showerhead, you know the sacrifice it takes to significantly reduce your water consumption. It’s a struggle we all face, especially those of us trying to reduce our own ecological footprints, but solutions are few and far between, particularly if you’re showerhead shopping on a budget. Fortunately, there’s a fresh new solution: Nebia by Moen, launching today on Kickstarter. (Nebia was founded in 2014 and has partnered with Moen for the launch of this product, which was fully funded on Kickstarter within a few hours.) When I first had the opportunity to test this new sustainable showerhead out for myself, I was skeptical. In my experience, a showerhead is a showerhead is a showerhead, even if it is one with low water flow. (You’d have thought I’d learned a lesson from my experience with linear shower drains, but no.) And then I saw Nebia by Moen in action for myself, and to say I was impressed would be a huge understatement. This is a showerhead you notice, in all the best ways. Even before you turn on the water, the first thing you notice is the streamlined, modern appearance: Nebia by Moen has the prominent look of the exposed pipe shower system, though it leans more new age than industrial. It looks like the sort of showerhead you’d see in a spaceship, all clean lines and matte black finishes. (It’s also available in nickel and white and chrome finishes.) After the initial (pleasant) surprise of the showerhead, you notice the water itself. Nebia by Moen uses atomization spray technology to offer the feel of a lot of water with less water usage—its founders claim that it saves about 45 percent of the water used by standard showerheads. The spray is generous and powerful enough, with an optional shower wand for even more warm-water coverage. In the right shower (i.e. one with closed walls), it can even create a similar environment to a steam shower. Before you start panicking that you’re not planning a bathroom reno, so you couldn’t possibly bring this showerhead home, think again: Installation is actually easy. It doesn’t even involve extra screwing into walls, so it’s rental-friendly. The showerhead attaches at the same point as a standard showerhead, with an adhesive to anchor the sliding arm. (The shower wand also attaches to the shower wall with an adhesive.) Installing this would take the same effort as swapping out an old showerhead for a new, basic one. And Nebia by Moen is actually reasonably priced. With all these luxury features—a showerhead that swivels and can be raised and lowered! steam shower elements! water savings!—you’d expect a luxury price tag, but this showerhead will retail at $199. That’s close to the same amount you’d spend on a mid-range showerhead with wand. And, with the introductory Kickstarter price of $160, there are even more savings available. (If you still need convincing, Nebia has a calculator to help you determine the water and heating bill savings you might find with the help of the showerhead.) After the Kickstarter ends on February 29, Nebia expects to ship the purchased showerheads quickly to backers in May 2020, and with any luck, the showerheads will be available for retail at a hardware store near you (or online) in the near future. If you want one sooner rather than later, though, now’s the time to act—the Kickstarter (and the discount price) disappear on February 29.
