Singaporeans are gradually moving towards fully realized smart homes. Most homes in the country have smart home appliances to enhance living standards and save energy. Household penetration of smart home technology in the country is around 87% in 2025, and is expected to grow above 99% in the end of the decade.
Smart bathrooms are the next logical step towards smart homes. They are no longer considered an indulgence, but rather a step forward into convenience and well-being in day-to-day lives.
This blog will discuss an important smart bathroom innovation- smart toilet bowls, in the context of Singaporean homes.
What Is a Smart Toilet Bowl?
A smart toilet bowl is one equipped with technological elements such as sensors, which can provide automated and personalized settings. There are different benefits of smart toilets, such as increased comfort, enhanced hygiene and eco-friendly options.
Key features and functions
The smart toilet bowl is equipped with technologies that are extremely beneficial to personalize your toilet habits to cater to your favoured level of hygiene. The important features include:
- Auto-flushing
An auto-flusher uses infrared sensor technology to detect any heat signature within a dedicated field. If the result is positive, a timer is set, and when the heat signature is removed, water is automatically flushed from the system.
- Bidet functionality
A smart toilet seat has built-in bidet functionality. Some of these seats also come with auto-drying systems. This can be a cleaner and safer drying system.
- Heated seats
In lower temperatures, the seat might not be in a condition for comfortable seating. It can be worse for people with arthritis and chronic pain. For such a scenario, smart toilet bowls come with heated toilet seats. It makes the seating experience more relaxed and comfortable, in the coldest winter nights.
Some smart toilets also have built-in deodorizer systems, and some even offer app-based controls for a more convenient, hands-off experience.
The auto-flushing and auto-cleaning systems are extremely beneficial in terms of eliminating diseases borne from the inability to completely manually clean toilet bowls. Diseases like E coli, Salmonella, and Norovirus are diseases that can be managed with the advanced systems of smart toilet bowls.
Difference from traditional toilet bowls
The following comparison chart shows some of the critical differences between smart and traditional toilet seats.
| Features | Smart Toilet Bowl | Traditional Toilet Bowl |
| Automatic Flushing | Sensor-based or app-controlled | Manual |
| Bidet Functionality | Built-in bidet functionality | Separate system required |
| Heated Seat | Temperature controlled | Not applicable |
| Water & Energy Efficiency | Optimized with eco-friendly modes and dual flush features | No such system is in place |
| User Personalization | Personalization options addressing temperature, water flow adjustments. | No personalization features |
| Initial Costs | High | Low |
| Durability | High | Moderate |
| Maintenance | Less maintenance required but regular upkeep necessary | Regular maintenance required |
| Need For Replacement | Replacement of the seat and lid | Replacement of whole system in case of breakdown |
| Overall Costs | Saves costs in the long run | Can be costly in the long run |
Reasons for its Rising Popularity in Singapore
Singapore is an extremely clean country, with a 53.8 EPI score as of 2024, landing it in the 17th place globally. As per an article published by the New York Times, Singapore is a country “so clean that bubble gum is a controlled substance”. Thus, Singapore is a nation whose populace prefers a clean and green environment to live in.
It has also been observed that a significant segment of the Singapore population have focused on a need to move to sustainable practices, with 46% of Singapore residents maintaining sustainable purchasing practices in 2023.
This tendency of the country to move towards sustainability has led to increased preference for smart toilet systems, specifically smart toilet bowls.
Focus on hygiene and cleanliness
The leaders of the country have put in a significant effort to protect the country’s image as a green, clean haven. Along with the government, the citizens of Singapore have also contributed to the cleanliness of the country.
Such practices have led to increasing attention to smart bathroom systems in Singapore. The number of smart toilets is increasing all over Singapore. Many organizations have shown awareness of the importance of toilet cleanliness in Singapore and have effectively catered to the demands of the people.
On the other hand, smart toilets have self-cleaning features that use electrolyzed water or UV lights to effectively eliminate bacteria, thereby improving hygiene. Smart cleaning, drying and bidet systems are more capable of removing bacteria than wiping with dry toilet paper, which is a more effective tool for enhancing hygiene.
Space-saving and sleek design
Smart toilets have also become popular because they usually come in various sleek design models, catering to specific bathroom sizes, optimizing space usage. Many smart toilets exist which are built to seamlessly fit into smaller bathroom spaces.
The aspect of bidet integration also is another factor that saves space. A built-in bidet saves a significant amount of space that would otherwise have been occupied by the installation of a separate bidet.
Smart toilets also offer wall-mounted options, where the tank is concealed within the wall, freeing up valuable floor space.
Water efficiency and sustainability
Smart toilets have many built-in systems that help contribute to sustainable practices. These systems include low-flow flushes, dual-flushes, as well as heating and drying systems that boast energy conservation.
Also, many smart toilets have incorporated advanced technologies such as recycling and AI-based techniques to optimize water usage. These are energy conservation and sustainability aspects that make the initial investment in smart toilet bowls worth it in the long-term.
To explain how smart toilet can help long-term savings, traditional toilets use more than 1.5 gallons of water with each flush, while smart toilets are in lower ranges, reducing water consumption by approximately 20-50% per day. So, if at least 0.3 gallons are saved, about S$120-200 dollars can be saved for a family flushing five times a day.
Tech-savvy population and smart home integration
The modern global population is more attuned to technology than ever. Millennials, growing up in the digital age are now homeowners, leading to an increasing level of smart technology integration in homes.
Smart toilets can fit in seamlessly with smart home systems, with their compatibility with devices such as Alexa or Google Home. Smartphone-controlled smart toilets have features of monitoring via phone applications, which are made extremely useful due to the modern population’s technological know-how.
Top Brands and Models Popular in Singapore
What are some of the most popular brands in Singapore that manufacture smart toilet bowls? The three most notable global brands of smart bathroom fixtures popular all over Singapore are:
- TOTO
- Kohler
- American Standard
Wasser Bath is also a crucial Singapore-based brand with smart toilet devices in offer.
Wasser Bath
Wasser Bath has a collection of smart toilet products, such as the V23000 Electric Smart Bidet Seat. It has a 3D Curve Comfort Heating Seat with 5 levels of heating. It also has enhanced cleaning systems installed such as bidet with wider cleaning movement area and stronger airflow settings. The air-dry has 5 modes of airflow installed. Also, LED blue light is present for flawless cleaning of the toilet bowl.
TOTO
Toto’s WASHLET series consists of the most notable smart toilet models globally. The following models are most notable:
- WASHLET G400 – 1.28 GPF & 0.9 GPF
- WASHLET G450 – Integrated Smart Toilet – 1.0 GPF and 0.8 GPF
- WASHLET G5A Integrated Smart Toilet – 1.0 GPF/1.2 GPF
Kohler
Kohler’s Veil and Eir ranges of smart toilets are increasingly gaining popularity all over the globe. The models from these ranges are also relevant in Singapore. Some notable models in these collections are:
- Veil One-Piece K-5401-Pa-0 compact elongated smart toilet, dual-flush
- Veil Wall-hung K-76395-0 elongated smart toilet bowl, dual-flush
- Eir One-Piece K-77795-0 elongated smart toilet, dual-flush
American Standard
American Standard is another notable brand manufacturing smart toilets, which has gained popularity among the citizens of Singapore. Some notable models are:
- Edgemere Aquawash 2.0 Bidet Seat and Edgemere Elongated Toilet
- Edemere Advanced Clean 100 SpaLet Bidet Toilet
Cost and Installation Considerations
A major challenge in the installation of smart toilets is the high upfront cost required. These can be pricey. However, they also need additional plumbing and electrical hookups.
Price range
Notable brands such as TOTO and Kohler have collections of smart toilet models which are in the price range of starting from approximately S$800 to the advanced, higher-end models at s$ 4,000.
Plumbing and electrical requirements
You will need to add a necessary water connection for the bidet mechanism, along with a standard supply for flushing.
Smart toilets also come with electrical components for which a dedicated outlet is required, which would need to be in the range of 110 to 220V. This electrical outlet also needs to be a GFCI outlet for maximizing safety.
Are Smart Toilet Bowls Worth It?
You might be thinking that smart toilet bowls are expensive, and require further additional expenses in terms of changes in the plumbing and electrical functions. Is such an upfront expenditure truly worth it?
Cost-benefit analysis for long-term use
The cost-to-benefit ratio of smart toilet bowls can only be observed by evaluating the long-term impact. The most important long-term impact of smart toilet bowls involves a gradual increase in savings on water and utility bills. Thus, they can essentially be considered as investments with future value.
They even use eco-friendly technologies that benefit convenience while reducing energy consumption. Dual-flush technologies and bidets with precise flow are also helpful in water conservation.
Health and hygiene benefits
Many smart toilets have app-controlled features. These features enable a touchless functioning system, lowering germ transmission. Built-in bidet functions with controllable water pressure, heated seating and temperature-controlled drying systems all add a layer of comfort. This helps the users achieve a high-level of cleanliness effortlessly.
Bidet functionality and automatic cleaning systems involve touchless systems to more capably eliminate bacteria. Using targeted cleaning with a jet of water or using UV rays to clean the toilet bowl and seat after usage give smart toilets an edge over traditional toilets in the maintenance of hygiene.
Aesthetic and real estate value boost
Smart toilets not only help by providing long-term cost savings, but they can also help raise your property’s resale value. For home buyers who look for the aesthetic and convenience value of contemporary facilities, as well as the aspect of environmental protection, these toilets can be a suitable target.
Thus, buyers are more attracted to the property with smart toilets, ready to pay a higher price for the valuable amenities.
Conclusion
In the modern world, where smart homes are growing in significance, smart toilets are a key component of smart homes, gaining popularity among the modern Singaporean population.
The growing demand also comes with benefits such as increased convenience, water conservation, and enhanced hygiene maintenance. If you want to explore the most suitable options for smart toilets for your home, visit us at 469 Balestier Road, Singapore 329841.
