Cinderella bathroom? No more …!
23/03/2011 | Cinderella bathroom? No more …! Big changes are taking place in bathrooms. At one time the bathroom was the Cinderella of the home. But in the last few years bathroom product design has blossomed and there is now more choice than ever before. Manufacturers have rapidly expanded their range and consumers are reaping the benefit. But what has been the driver for so much rapid change. Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Associations explains. “It’s all to do with sustainability. We have seen massive price hikes in our household utility bills. Gas and electric prices have rocketed. So too have our water bills and householders everywhere are trying to meet their squeezed budgets. The newest water and energy efficient bathroom products are a boon to anyone contemplating refurbishing their bathroom since they can really save their on-going costs.” We have seen some interesting and quite major breakthroughs in product design. WCs, with super-efficient flush, are now common. They are freely available and the branded products, which conform with the regulations and are guaranteed to actually work, are here to stay. Flush volumes of just 3 litres can be found – compare that with the UK average flush of 9 litres and you can very easily see the savings. Taps with built in eco-click and thermo regulating mechanisms are on the shelves. These not only save water but save energy and are ultra-safe in the family bathroom. Eco-friendly shower controls and shower heads have enjoyed massive growth and these, like ecoclick-taps, show huge savings in consumption. It was not so long back when the average new bath was filled with around 200 litres. Today, without much effort, a consumer can find a really comfortable bath with a capacity of just 130 litres. It’s all in the design. But how would anyone looking for a new bathroom choose the very best to suit their requirements? “You’d be well advised to choose a product listed in the Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme” says Yvonne. “These new labels are beginning to appear on all the very best water efficient bathroom products, so remember to “look for the label.” WEPLS incorporates almost 1500 bathroom products listed in a web-enabled database. The award winning and voluntary scheme has been praised by Government, the water companies and The Energy Saving Trust. Bathroom products which meet strict water efficiency rules are listed in the database and are entitled to display the WEPLS label which is similar to the energy saving label found on white goods, fridges and washing machines etc. The database also lists over 1000 stockists. So if you’re looking for a new bathroom check out the website at www.water-efficiencylabel.org.uk, search for your favourite new bathroom products and search for your local stockist.