very project is a balancing act. It is a complex process of reconciling high expectations for design, quality and user experience within an agreed budget. When it comes to bathrooms, there is also increasing regulation including Part G, the Code for Sustainable Homes and compliance with WRAS.
The design process is more than creating a look, it is providing an efficient, functional space tailored to the needs of the user. Performance and a great user experience are particularly important for the Hansgrohe Group, as a brassware and showering manufacturer. However, our challenge is to balance this with sustainability, as through their daily use our products will continue to consume energy and cash.
Therefore the concept of a lifetime value, in comparison to merely being concerned with initial outlay, is valid. This is driving a change in mindset and focusing specifers and buyers to view total cost over time instead of just the product’s purchase price. Clients are increasingly demanding more and lifetime value is now a greater consideration, particularly when you factor the expense of plumbers or contractors having to revisit a site or a hotel room out of action for a night. Designers, developers and investors are starting to realise that the real cost of products is actually built into years three, four and five when low-price, low-quality products could start to go wrong. High-quality products deliver for the long-term, thus also ensuring a sustainble fit-out.
Saving resources desmonstrates a sustainable strategy and directly impacts lifetime costs. Specifying water-efficient products whether for residential or commercial projects will result in water and energy cost savings. We’ve had huge success with our EcoSmart Check campaign which was devised for the hotel sector, but works equally well for any project. Payback is generally within 12 months and we can illustrate this by switching the property to hansgrohe EcoSmart showers and mixer taps, measuring the new flow rates on site and calculating the savings in energy and water bills by using an online calculator. It is a transparent process and specific to that client, so very powerful. Around 25% of net sales at Hansgrohe UK now comes from our EcoSmart portfolio and its success is undoubtedly because there is no compromise on design, quality or enjoyment. The products look the same and perform as well as the non-eco versions but use less resources. The patented technology inside is simply more efficient.
Helped by initiatives like The Water Label, choosing and identifying water-saving models is now simpler and easier to understand. WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) certification is another label to look for when specifying bathroom fittings. In the past, there was greater focus on commercial projects, but WRAS is now also becoming important for residential specifiers. Thames Water, for example, indicated to us that more of their inspections will be including residential developments. This was the impetus for Hansgrohe UK introducing the CPD ‘Why WRAS’, which explores legal compliance with Regulation 4 of the ‘Water Supply (Water Fittings)’ Regulations.
The easiest way to comply is to specify WRAS-approved products. This provides insurance of durability and ethical sourcing for all the components within a product and we now have over 900 WRAS-approved products – more than double that of the next closest manufacturer. This type of independent certification is something that gives quality manufacturers the edge, and provides specifiers and retailers with transparent proof of sustainable performance.
For the Hansgrohe Group, sustainability is not a policy, it’s a way of life and it has been for over 40 years, long before being ‘green’ became a corporate buzzword.
Our message to designers and specifiers is to make sure that you have done your homework beforehand; check the brand reputation, manufacturing philosophy, guarantees and certifications on the actual products being specified to make sure that you and your client are protected. This will ensure that you are buying quality, which delivers sustainability and the lowest possible lifetime costs. Everybody benefits.
