High efficiency water softeners, purifiers and filtration systems can help consumers save money and the environment says Dario Palumbo, marketing manager at Monarch Water.
The recent 54% increase in energy prices has seen consumers looking for ways to save money. Installers can help consumers improve efficiency and minimise bills by talking to them about hard water.
A home’s energy efficiency is increasingly important for both environmental and financial reasons. There are many things that consumers can do to improve their home’s efficiency; from showering instead of bathing, also making sure dishwashers are loaded to capacity and run on eco mode. However, there is one thing that can be sapping the energy out of household equipment and that’s limescale.
Did you know that 60% of the UK receive a hard water supply that can lead to limescale build-up inside pipes and the coating of heating elements? This means a significant proportion of UK homes are using more energy than necessary, which also means it’s costing more to run their homes.
Heating elements inside boilers, showers, dishwashers and washing machines that are coated with just 1.6mm of limescale will use 12% more energy than their scale-free counterparts, according to British Water. This inefficiency increases to 24% when there is 3mm of scale. This can significantly increase consumers spending at a time when prices have already boomed.
Not only does scale build-up on heating elements make equipment more costly to run, but it also makes breakdowns more likely and reduces machines’ lifespan too.
Water softeners are the affordable solution to the problems hard water causes. The latest high efficiency models not only prevent any limescale from accumulating on heating elements inside the home, but they also remove any existing scale too.
Installers should recommend the most efficient models on the market, such as those featuring Opti-Brining® technology, which only regenerate when needed. These softeners use up to 13% less salt and 32% less water than previous models, making them the most sustainable option in their class.
Installation is a breeze thanks to compact models, which can be easily sited under sinks. To make life even easier for installers, some products come complete with a Rapid Fit-bypass kit, which removes the need for 80% of the equipment previously required to fit.
Today’s consumers are savvy and realise that sustainable, energy efficient equipment also means lower running costs, so introducing them to products that offer environmental, financial and lifestyle benefits is sure to pique their interest.
Although many consumers will be trying to cut back on their spending in the coming months it’s important that installers encourage them to think ahead and protect their homes and wallets from the costly effects of limescale.
Investing in a high efficiency water softener, for example, offers consumers numerous benefits, including minimising energy costs by optimising the efficiency of household appliances, such as boilers, washing machines, showers and dishwashers.
As if that wasn’t enough of an incentive for installation, water softeners also, as the name suggests – softens water. Not only does soft water feel great on your skin, it has been found to reduce the harmful effects of surfactants and potentially helps those suffering from eczema and other skin issues. Additionally, water softeners also improve wash results from washing machines and dishwashers as well as making your hair feel luxuriously soft.
Following the lockdown periods over the last two years, where consumers were spending more time at home than ever before, health, wellbeing and sustainability became a keen focus for many people. This change has driven interest in residential water filtration and purification systems that offer health, financial and environmental benefits.
Although the water that is supplied to UK homes is perfectly safe, it does however contain certain impurities that can have a negative impact on the taste of the water.
According to Statista around 14 billion plastic bottles were thought to be have been used in the UK in 2018, with the Environment Audit Committee estimating around 7.7 billion of these being water bottles. Of these bottles, Recoup estimates that around 16 million of these plastic bottles are not recycled and end up in landfill, incinerators or in the natural environment.
Water filters and purifiers can help to contribute to the reduction of plastic bottle waste in the UK by encouraging people to reuse and replenish, by drinking healthy, clean and pure water from home.
Small in stature, these pieces of kit can be easily integrated into most kitchen set ups.
Installers are ideally placed to recommend water softeners, purifiers and filtration systems to customers looking to cut costs, improving the efficiency of their homes and minimising their carbon footprints. By taking advantage of this burgeoning sector installers can maximise profits and customer satisfaction.