With consumers spending more than ever on updating their bathrooms, Lena Hebestreit, Marketing Manager from Vent-Axia, examines the current bathroom trends and explains why ventilation is so essential to this
A recent survey by Trend-Monitor and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association found that bathroom budgets have increased significantly to roughly £7.5k. With this increased budget comes higher expectations so it’s important that builders can offer customers what they want when refurbing a bathroom or adding an en-suite to a property. With any bathroom renovation, ventilation is key to ensuring good indoor air quality (IAQ) and freedom from condensation and mould. So, what should builders recommend to their customers?
Bold Aesthetics
An increased focus on interior design is driving improved aesthetics of everything in the home, including the bathroom, with black interiors showing no sign of decreasing in popularity. Ventilation has traditionally been available in white but there are fans out there, such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Svara, that are also available in black meaning greater choice for the consumer and more options for matching their ventilation to their aesthetic. For customers preferring a silent aesthetic, the Vent-Axia Silent Fan now has a discrete tile-like version while the PureAir Sense offers minimal styling, clean lines and an optional cover that complements any modern bathroom or spathroom.
Spathrooms
Spa-inspired bathrooms are an increasingly popular option where people can escape the stresses of busy lives and chill out in the bath. Creating an oasis of calm is essential and so a noisy extractor fan is a definite no-no. So where should you start? There are many fans on the market that claim to be quiet but what actually is quiet when it comes to fan noise?
A good place to start is to check the sound level in decibels [dB(A)]. An average extract fan operates at 35dB(A). This is loud in a confined space. Fortunately, there are now fans on the market that are only slightly louder than the sound of a pin dropping. For example, Vent-Axia uses its own sound laboratory to ensure the fans they design are exceptionally quiet with its Silent Fan range being the quietest on the market, offering ultra-low sounds levels of just 12dB(A). Another way to check is to look for fans that have been awarded a Quiet Mark, the independent global certification programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society charitable foundation, which recognises the quietest solutions to unwanted noise.
Install
However, when choosing which quiet fans to stock, builders should not just look at sound levels since there are other factors to consider. Although silence is a really big driver for households, it may not be the only box to tick on a wish list. As a result, manufacturers have been adding to their quiet fan ranges to offer increased flexibility and choice for households.
For example, with the Silent Fan range there are now 17 models to choose from including an IPX5-rating, variable speed models, humidistat options and both intermittent and continuous ventilation models and the option of open and closed grilles. Variable speed models make installation easier since electricians can simply adjust the speed depending on the individual needs of the project, ensuring the right fan every time. And the Silent Fan stays quiet even with longer duct runs and higher air flow.
Health and well-being
Households are now more aware than ever of the air they breathe because the pandemic highlighted the importance of IAQ and ventilation in buildings due to the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus. This means consumer demand for fans that make a real difference to IAQ are an essential. While many fans effectively improve IAQ, there are smart fans that offer app control so that households can control their ventilation as well as a host of other clever features.
For example, an innovative app available with the Lo-Carbon Svara and Vent-Axia PureAir Sense allows households to control their ventilation from the comfort of their sofa unlocking a whole range of different functions to control their home’s IAQ, such as a silent scheduling and automatic cycles, offering flexible ventilation to suit a household’s lifestyle. Furthermore, the PureAir Sense is the UK’s only bathroom fan with Odour Sense Technology. Designed to improve IAQ, the fan increases airflow when the sensor detects that air in a home is poor, creating a comfortable living environment.
With aesthetics, low noise levels and good IAQ all remaining increasingly important in bathroom design, ventilation that can offer these along with smart features and low running costs could prove popular with households. Builders who can offer these ventilation options as part of a bathroom renovation are sure to impress customers.
For further information about Vent-Axia, visit Vent-Axia – Ventilation, Heating, Hygiene and Cooling
