Smart Showers

HELPING CUSTOMERS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE

Wendy Bennett, Customer Experience Director at Aqualisa looks at the key factors contributing to the growing trend of the personalised smart shower market – and explores the features and benefits it has to offer.

In recent years there has been a discernible move towards high-end personalisation, with more than 50% of consumers interested in purchasing customised products. It is anticipated that this will have a knock-on effect on smart shower sales, with the smart shower market forecast to see an increase of 26% by 2020 due to a shift towards high end products within domestic refurbishments in particular .

This offers a unique opportunity. With a wealth of benefits over traditional mixers, smart showers are becoming an easier sell – whilst for the installers themselves they offer hassle free installation, plus extra margin too. 

KEY FEATURES FOR THE INSTALLER

Flexible application

Most smart showers are compatible with all standard domestic hot water systems and provide optimum performance and flexibility with regards to installation and use. This is due to a mixer valve, which most smart showers have. For example, Aqualisa smart showers are controlled by the QuartzTM Smart Valve, which thermostatically blends hot and cold water, connected to the shower’s controller by a slim data cable, to provide the exact temperature required by the end user.

At Aqualisa we have designed two smart valves (a.k.a processors) suitable for all UK water systems: a pumped smart valve for low pressure systems such as traditional gravity fed water systems and a standard (unpumped) smart valve for high pressure systems such as a combi boiler system and unvented systems. In 2017 we renamed our processor boxes to ‘smart valves’ to reflect further smart developments to these units.

Easy to install

When installing or upgrading to a new shower, traditional mixer showers usually require major disruption to tiles when channelling pipes and fitting a shower unit. This increases installation time as well as the cost to the homeowner. Exposed smart showers remove this issue, as the wall 

does not need to be chased out to expose the cabling which would be required to wire a mixer valve.

Most smart showers also have a smart valve, which can be located away from the shower in places such as the loft, under the bath or in an airing cupboard. This further reduces disruption to the bathroom and maximises space that would usually be taken up by the smart valve.

Simple to maintain

As smart valves can be installed away from the shower it also means that they are easy to access for maintenance purposes and require minimal disruption to the bathroom.

KEY FEATURES FOR THE CONSUMER

Smart showers provide a wealth of benefits and key selling points to allow the homeowner to have a completely personalised shower experience.

Water efficient

Aqualisa’s latest smart range, the Aqualisa QTM, can significantly reduce water use in domestic applications. The smart valve can be set to ‘eco’ mode, which can reduce water output by 33% while the proximity sensor (a feature that can be switched on or off to suit the end user) automatically reduces the water output when the user is 0.5 meters away – but crucially continues normal water flow when the user steps back towards the QTM shower controller.

Personalised experience

The Aqualisa QTM range also allows users to choose from a variety of pre-set shower experiences based on water flow, duration, temperature and outlet or create and save their own preferences to repeat the perfect shower every time.

Additionally, the range features precise temperature control, which holds water at the desired temperature for the duration of the shower. The wireless remote allows users to remotely turn on the system from up to 10 metres away from the shower controller and enables them 'Aqualisa’s latest smart range, the Aqualisa QTM , can significantly reduce water use in domestic applications. The smart valve can be set to ‘eco’ mode, which can reduce water output by 33%'

to switch between available outlets by holding down the remote button. While the temperature ready indicator lets users know when the water has reached their perfect temperature, so they do not have to reach into the shower to test it. 

The smart shower market is growing at a rapid pace, which indicates that it should be easier for installers to encourage consumers to make the switch to smart showers. However, there can be a perception that smart showers are difficult to use when in fact, once installed, they just require the user to step in, select the temperature and enjoy precise showering every time.

For many homeowners it may be a simple lack of awareness of what smart showers offer. Informing customers about the potential benefits, especially when a traditional shower is due for replacement, provides installers with an opportunity to offer a better service as well as up-sell to customers.

As such, Aqualisa provides free training courses on all its smart ranges, which provide detailed product information, installation guidance and advice on how to up-sell from traditional mixers to smart showers.

Our award-winning customer service team can offer advice on our full range of mixer, electric and smart showers or provide answers to any technical queries as well as spare parts advice.