Shedding new light on what customers want

Hayden Jackson, purchasing manager at YESSS Electrical, looks at the recent lighting developments in kitchens and bathrooms.

Bathrooms and kitchens have increasingly become multi-functional rooms that provide environments for relaxation and socialising. They are also one of a property’s most valuable assets – a fact increasingly recognised by home style and DIY shows. Despite this, the specification of lighting to make the most of these spaces is often left until last, despite the fact that the right lighting can significantly add value in the short term and save money in the long term.

So, what are customers looking for in terms of lighting for their bathroom and kitchen spaces? Style and quality are key for both, but increasingly people are also seeking out energy saving lighting solutions and LED lighting has presented the perfect solution to fill that gap.

The long life span of LED means the technology is energy and cost efficient. Coupled with its aesthetic possibilities, this makes LED a key development for bathrooms and kitchens and work is still being done to improve LED lighting. For example, the latest developments ensure that LED chips are getting better, and produce more lumens per watt.

The long life span and low maintenance is particularly important when considering kitchen and bathroom lighting options, as in rooms where lighting is used on a less constant basis the bulbs will last even longer! In some instances, it may seem like years since a bathroom bulb has been changed.

From an end user point of view, consumers require energy saving and low maintenance. With new taxation on energy used and CO2 emissions, commercial lighting is now a very important factor when looking at these costs. As energy efficiency is such a key consideration, consumers should look out for wholesalers offering ownership calculations for commercial use. This allows customers to choose the correct energy saving product that suits the solution. This applies to every room in the house, and is particularly pertinent to bathrooms where energy and water efficiency is a key consideration. Products such as lighting controls and PIRs are just some of the latest energy saving innovations to capture the industry’s attention.

It’s for these reasons that LED is now one of the most popular styles of lighting when it comes to kitchen and bathrooms. LED has developed hugely over the past decade, and with LED products now representing nearly 50% of new sales, this technology is fast becoming the first choice for consumers.

Task lighting

Due to its compact and energy efficient nature, LED lighting is finding a wide range of applications across kitchen and bathroom lighting and is being used to great effect for ‘task lighting’ where it is installed under cabinets to emit a bright beam of light to make food preparation easier and safer.

LEDS are also being used to create softer mood-lighting to give rooms ambiance for social occasions. In fact, one of YESSS’s top selling products – the NVC LED Garland Downlight – even comes with a dimmable option.

Overall, consumers have become much more appreciative of the benefits of good quality lighting and this has encouraged manufacturers to produce more sophisticated products. At one time, bathroom lighting used to be practical and clunky and contemporary design was hard to find. Now, design features firmly in most mass market products and the majority of the range we stock features nice design touches such as contemporary wall fixings polished chrome accents.

Design

Similarly, the kitchen lighting market has gone through some dramatic changes in the past few years and the technology offered has been forced to evolve in order to keep up with changing demand. While kitchen lighting used to be an afterthought when planning, it is now rightly being recognised as an important factor in the design process.

The advent of kitchen islands heralded a number of changes of the kitchen lighting market. Suddenly, there was a shift away from simply ‘tasked based’ lighting, towards using lighting for dramatic effect, to highlight the kitchen island as a feature or to showcase a statement appliance.

Kitchen and bathroom technologies are developing faster than ever. As new high end property developments are always on the lookout for the latest technologies, it is important for wholesalers and contractors to keep abreast of the new products on the market.

According to the Houzz 2015 Kitchen Trends Study, 25% of people in the UK are planning a significant upgrade to their kitchens and we make wholesale changes to the kitchen area much more regularly than US homeowners. What this means is that the opportunities for sales are plentiful for those armed with the right products and expertise.

www.yesss.co.uk