Demand for multiple bathrooms in a home is on the rise, so much so it’s become a key factor for prospective house buyers. With the average size of houses shrinking, builders are increasingly faced with the challenge of specifying a hot water system that can handle demand in often to smallest of spaces. Alan Clarke at Heatrae Sadia looks at the latest innovations for meeting this challenge, and how merchants can capitalise on this.
With the phrase ‘rabbit-hutch Britain’ having been coined to describe the sizes of houses now on offer across the UK, it’s official; houses, and the space in them, is shrinking. In fact, the average new-build three-bedroom home in the UK outside of London covers 88.9 square metres, four square metres small than the Government’s guidelines.[i]
This presents a challenge when it comes to hot water provision. In order to supply high pressure hot water to multiple bathrooms, especially those featuring products which require a high volume of water, the most appropriate solution is usually an unvented hot water cylinder. But finding space for a cylinder can be challenging, with some modern homes being built with smaller airing cupboards than in the past, or perhaps no airing cupboard at all.
Fortunately, this dilemma is not lost on manufacturers, and new products are entering the market which are able to cater to both space efficiency and high-usage hot water demands, including products such as a slim fit cylinder. Featuring an internal expansion system for a faster and neater installation, these cylinders save on space as they fit neatly into non-standard sized airing cupboards or other compact storage areas.
Heatrae Sadia’s Megaflo Eco Slimline, for example, offers the same high performance and quality as the rest of the Megaflo Eco range, but in a slimmer design – ideal for storage pressed homes.
Beyond recommending a smaller, more manageably sized product, it’s vital to ensure that any cylinder which is supplied to customers is of the highest possible quality. After all, unvented cylinders store water under pressure, making it essential that they are strong, durable and corrosion-resistant.
By far the preferred material is Duplex stainless steel, as it has outstanding and unique corrosion-resistant properties. It is also lightweight, giving it a strength-to-weight ratio advantage. For longer cylinder life, builders should look out for units that combine laser and TIG welding and butt welded joints to avoid crevices.
On a direct cylinder, a titanium immersion heater is an indication of quality, and on an indirect cylinder the material to look for would be Superloy 825. Both are high-grade, but the immersion heater on a direct cylinder needs to be made from a stronger material, as it will be used more frequently than on an indirect model, where the immersion acts only as a back-up.
Merchants are in a unique position to give advice and support to builders, offering innovative solutions which not only meet customers’ needs, but also solidifying the merchant as a trustworthy source of expert information. This has the additional benefit of potentially developing a new revenue stream whilst gaining an edge over competitors who may not be as confident or informed about these new products.
By stocking new and emerging products, such as slim hot water cylinders, merchants can answer a core challenge for builders, adding value to their overall service, building relationships with clients, and ultimately growing revenue.
For further information visit www.heatraesadia.com or call 01603 420 220.
[i] http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britains-hous...
