Bathrooms are a key selling point in new homes. PHPD speaks with Suzannah Hallam, Product Manager for Digital Showers at Mira Showers, about the benefits of specifying the latest smart showers.
Q. Smart, digital and immersive showering experiences have been introduced to the market in recent years as luxury bathroom options, suitable only for the highest-end bathrooms. Is it time for that technology, and the experience it provides, to proliferate into a wider market?
A new generation of consumer is emerging, and they’re increasingly seeking the opportunity to control household devices via a smart phone, home hub, or even their own voice. This is already having a big impact on the heating sector due to smart thermostats, enabling homeowners to control the temperature and timing of generating hot water. This trend is continuing to grow even faster than expected within the use of bathrooms, in particular the showering experience.
The use of smart technologies within the home has continued to grow over recent years as consumers are willing to spend that bit more to benefit from the added advantages a digital device can offer them, such as water monitoring and remote/app control functionality.
Smart devices also offer additional value to bathrooms. In fact, as the smart home concept continues to take hold, insights into consumer attitudes towards technology purchases suggest that, in time, the use of digital technology as part of shower installations could rise significantly.
Q. Housebuilders and developers must always take into account the bottom line when purchasing products for their properties. What would you recommend to developers looking to update their shower offering?
Digital showers are an economical investment that not only create a truly exceptional showering experience for users, but also come with benefits such as water monitoring and temperature management to help homeowners stay in control. Digital showers also allow for a modern aesthetic, along with unrivalled functionality that adds value for the homeowner.
Q. What are some of the benefits and features of a smart shower?
All of our digital showers offer accurate temperature control and our Mira Platinum and Mira Activate ranges also offer precise flow control. Consumers no longer need to guess the water temperature as this is communicated via the user interface on both the Mira Platinum and Mira Activate. The Mira Activate also comes with a water monitoring function, as well as user pre-sets to make showering even more enjoyable – depending on whether you want to wake yourself up in the morning or de-stress after a long day.
The Mira Activate also offers the ability to consciously reduce water usage through the eco mode which limits water flow whilst still maintaining impressive performance through the 4 mode. Its award-winning Switch shower head and 250mm deluge overhead is also available with the dual outlet upgrade option.
The unique benefit of a smart shower offers the user and installer the ability to connect to a specially designed app, offering additional functions for the end user, including customisable pre-sets as well as helpful installer tools such as outlet selector and warranty registration.
Q. Does installing a digital shower pose specific challenges?
Digital showers are perfectly suited to new bathrooms or complete refurbishments as there are a range of different configurations available to suit different bathroom layouts, including rear fed and ceiling fed fittings, and high pressure and pumped valve options. The digital mixing valve can be installed easily in a loft space or under the bath, leaving a clean aesthetic in the bathroom.
Q. There are a range of water heating systems currently in use across the UK, does Mira provide a digital shower suitable to each type?
Across the Mira digital shower range, options include the high-pressure digital mixing valve, which is suitable for combination boilers and mains pressure systems, as well as a pumped valve which is suitable for gravity fed, low pressure systems.
The Mira Activate low pressure utilises a silent running integral pump and is an ideal and more efficient alternative to a power shower.
Q. What are some of the showering and bathroom trends you are seeing since the onset of Coronavirus?
With people spending considerably longer periods at home, smart technology is certainly becoming increasingly popular with more and more customers as they integrate digital showers into their bathrooms.
Additionally, home spas are becoming more desirable. It’s no surprise that following the stresses of the last year, many consumers are wanting their bathrooms to act as their very own spa retreat. Mira products – such as the rainfall showerheads and massaging handheld showerheads – help homeowners achieve this.
Minimalism is also a trend we are continuing to see grow. When done well, a minimalist bathroom is far from unattractive, and is instead pared-back, relaxed and peaceful. To help respond to this growing trend, Mira launched its Mira Minimal offering earlier this year which maximises the space available in the bathroom. Mira digital showers also support the trend for Minimalism. The Mira Level Tray and Ascend Frameless Enclosures combine perfectly to create a wet room aesthetic.
