As consumers become increasingly aware of environmental issues and seek more sustainable ways of living a key area that has come under scrutiny for its high-water usage is the bathroom. Sarah Evans, Head of Product Marketing at hansgrohe UK, discusses the ways installers can help customers achieve their dream bathroom whilst reducing water and saving on utility bills.
The bathroom has become an important place for wellness and regeneration amongst consumers and ‘spa-throoms’ (spa-like bathrooms) have been named a top interior design trend for 2023. To help create a spa-like bathroom, or when embarking on any bathroom renovation project, showers are one of the most important considerations.
For wet rooms and bigger bathrooms, large, waterfall-style showers offer a luxurious experience by cocooning the user in water droplets. Meanwhile, hand showers with varying spray types can help provide different water experiences dependent on the person’s skin type, making them ideal for multi-generational households.
Hand showers are a great partner to overhead showers, but also work brilliantly as a standalone product. For example, if customers are looking to create a luxury shower experience without the space for an overhead shower, hansgrohe’s Pulsify hand showers are equipped with gentle PowderRain and more invigorating IntenseRain spray modes. There is also a third spray mode available in both variants – a relaxing massage spray or a more intense activating spray to help relieve muscle aches and tension.
Whilst this functionality sufficiently ticks the ‘spa-throom’ box, sustainability will still be front of mind for some consumers. An increasingly common question for installers may therefore be – ‘in order to reduce my water usage in the bathroom, do I have to compromise on a great showering experience?’
Sustainability without compromise
The technology included in the latest eco showers and showerheads mean that installing water-saving options can be effective and straight-forward and, importantly, maintain the bathroom experiences many homeowners are looking for. What’s more, less water used is also less water that needs to be heated, so switching to a product with integrated sustainable technology will help your customers save on their heating bills.
EcoSmart technology from hansgrohe, for example, can be integrated into many of the brand’s hand showers and overhead showers. It reduces the water flow automatically to around six to nine litres per minute, saving at least 43% of water compared to a conventional product. This also means less water is heated, providing a further incentive for homeowners to switch and save on energy bills too.
Most importantly, your customer will still get an incredible shower experience despite the low flow rate. EcoSmart ensures a constant water flow, even with low or fluctuating water pressure, to ensure user experience will remain the same. This has been proven through customer feedback too, with nine out of 10 customers agreeing that the Pulsify Select S hand shower with EcoSmart technology still results in a great showering experience, despite using 40% less water.
There are multiple spray patterns to choose from with EcoSmart shower heads including invigorating Rain spray, a whirling massage spray and PowderRain – a fine spray of micro-droplets that also help to reduce noise and minimise splashing, helping to create that relaxing showering experience so many are looking for.
Seeing the difference
With installer recommendations remaining influential in customers purchasing decisions, resources that help your customer see the difference energy-saving and water-saving can make are increasingly important. There are plenty of useful resources available online that help calculate the amount of energy a household uses. You can also look out for the information provided by your manufacturers and suppliers.
For example, hansgrohe has created the Water Savings Calculator to help installers educate their customers on water reduction and how this translates in real financial savings. By simply inputting some basic household information about water and energy use, you can access the financial savings made by switching to an EcoSmart product – including overhead showers, hand showers and taps.
Looking to the future
Research shows that if water consumption continues at the current rate, by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. The bathroom industry has a key part to play in bringing forward solutions to help tackle this.
Most recently, we worked closely with the innovative design studio PHOENIX to develop hansgrohe’s Green Vision Beyond Water: Rethinking Bathroom Culture. This revolutionary concept completely reimagines the bathroom experience, with a 90% reduction in water and energy consumption, resulting in 90% fewer CO2 emissions caused by water heating.
The technical innovations within the Green Vision concept will continue to inspire hansgrohe’s overall ambition to reduce water consumption in the bathroom without compromising on experience – and are already being incorporated into current product development.
For example, the new Pulsify Planet Edition has only six litres of water flowing through the hand shower per minute, without compromising on showering comfort. It also considers the entire product lifecycle in the design with a handle created from recycled plastic. Made from end-of-life products, and rejects, which are then shredded and cleaned, recycled plastic is a cleaner alternative to petroleum and fossil-based primary plastics and means energy consumption is significantly reduced during production.
