INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Water saving – not just a pipe dream
Many of today’s taps and showers are supplied with optional flow regulators to reduce water consumption. But do consumers really understand the benefits of opting for them? With installers having a key role in informing customers how to save water, Lisa Ward, senior product manager at Bristan, discusses what products can have the greatest impact
Understanding consumers
Lisa Ward, senior product manager at Bristan
It may sound obvious, but it’s important for installers to understand what customers exactly want from their tap or shower. It can be all too common for people to opt for the most sustainable type of shower, for example, only to realise that the reduced amount of flow means that they have to spend twice as long in it to effectively get the shampoo out of their hair. The key is to balance customer
requirements in terms of performance and water saving. One popular option is a flow regulator, which can be retrofitted into both taps and showers. These work by limiting the flow inside the connection, reducing water without making a significant impact on user experience. To put this into perspective, most
standard showers distribute a flow rate of 13.5 litres per minute, whereas flow regulated showers offer a rate of 10 litres per minute – delivering significant water savings over the course of the year. Many showers and taps are available with
flow regulators already incorporated. For those which aren’t, retrofit is quick and easy.
Eco-saving features T
he long, hot summer of 2018 is going down in the record books, with the mercury hitting record heights in
many areas across the country. But while many people are happy to soak up the sun, the impact on the water supply has once again hit the headlines after hosepipe bans were put in place. In the UK, we each use an average of
141 litres of water every day – but as the temperature rises, so does our water usage. During the summer months in
34 September 2018
particular, the issue of water efficiency becomes even more important and consumers are urged to think about what they can do to use water more wisely. Bathroom fittings can have a big impact on how much water a household uses, and increasingly, installers have an important role to play in educating consumers about water saving measures. So, what do installers need to do to play
this role effectively, and what products should they be recommending?
Bathroom technology is advancing at such a rate that products increasingly have eco- saving features built-in. This gives consumers the option of whether to activate water saving depending on the task at hand.
With Bristan’s Artisan Evo Digital thermostatic shower, for example, users can choose an eco-setting for a quick shower but a normal mode when a stronger flow is needed, such as for washing hair.
Water-saving taps
Flow regulators can also be used on the majority of taps in the bathroom and around
www.heatingandventilating.net
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