STOKE-ON-TRENT: Water efficiency and energy efficiency are the buzz words in the bathroom industry at the moment and Mr and Mrs Consumer are becoming more and more aware of the need to save our precious resources. When they are contemplating refurbishing their bathroom they are looking to install bathroom products which are eco-efficient to try to reduce their ever increasing utility bills.
To help them in the quest they are increasingly using the recently upgraded database of eco-friendly bathroom products – The Water Efficient Products Labelling Scheme. They are ‘looking for the label.’
The scheme is web based and easily accessible, and following a major makeover is now easier than ever to use by both consumers and installers.
Almost 700 water saving products are listed in the scheme which covers categories such as WCs, showers, and taps, amongst others.
Users of the new website at www.water-efficiencylabel.org.uk can look for their dream bathroom, create a shopping list and then search for their local stockist, on line.
Downloadable fact sheets and technical details and an on-line water consumption calculator enhance the scheme’s usability. Links to manufacturers’ websites, scheme partners and government sites add to the knowledge base which the website creates.
The key to the scheme is the product label.
Manufacturers have started applying these easy-to-understand product labels which are roughly based on the familiar energy labels found on white goods.
The label shows quite clearly the volume of water that the product will consume if installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions by a competent installer.
Yvonne Orgill, chief executive of the BMA comments; “Modern bathroom suites have come a long way in recent years and the latest designs have water and energy efficiency built in. This scheme shows only products which meet the strict eco criteria laid down by industry experts. There is now a great opportunity for bathroom installers to show their eco credentials, to use the scheme and to get ahead of their competition installing only products with the WEPLS label.”
