Abstract. Efficient water management is a challenging issue with the potential to affect the long-term well-being, economy and security of society. Policies and directions for sustainable water management have been established in the EU, with the objective to safeguard our future. However, short and medium term measures to support efficient water management practices for EU citizens are currently lacking. Consumers have limited means to accurately monitor their water consumption and thus stimuli to modify their behaviour towards a sustainable lifestyle. A potentially groundbreaking approach for altering the current stagnation in efficient water use and reuse lies within the empowerment of consumers. The principles of open knowledge, social innovation, and participation have provided solutions and driven innovation in similar challenging and complex issues with extreme success. We believe that a similar bottom up method, in which citizens can voluntarily adopt low cost water monitoring services, self-induce behavioural changes in water consumption, and accordingly demand better services from water management stakeholders, can be a catalyst for large-scale changes in efficient water management.