Quiet appliances for a peaceful home

Innovations that reduce the noise in your home and increase your wellbeing

By CAROLINE RODRIGUES for GRAND DESIGNS MAGAZINE

What would you give for a bit of peace and quiet? In its recent National Noise Report based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults, the noise reduction campaigner Quiet Mark revealed that 57% of Brits would like their homes to be less noisy. A further 62% would prefer quiet appliances.

‘Because sound is invisible, it’s often overlooked,’ says Quiet Mark CEO and co-founder Poppy Szkiler. ‘Yet its impact on our wellbeing is profound.’

Quiet Mark, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, identifies the quietest products through scientific testing and assessment. Between 10 and 20% of the quietest, best-performing products are awarded Quiet Mark certification.

‘I felt it was very important for consumers to have a definitive guide to the quietest products on the market, year on year, across all categories,’ Poppy explains. ‘Back in 2012 Quiet Mark became a third-party certification programme, in association with the UK Noise Abatement Society charitable foundation, serving public health with acoustic evaluation.’

Since the beginning of 2020, the number of certified quiet appliances and products more than tripled, from 350 to more than 1,200. The number of manufacturers achieving certification has also risen from 60 to more than 80. Here’s a small selection of the products were certified during this period

Clean air, less noise

With a Daikin air purifier you can enjoy fresh air without opening the windows and doors, avoiding cold draughts and pollutants coming inside. Simply switch on for purified air in an instant. Designed for living spaces and bedrooms, the compact MCK55W humidifying air purifier features near-silent yet powerful cleaning capability all in one compact appliance.

Daikin MCK55W humidifying air purifier

Quiet humidifier

Maintain the moisture levels in a room with the Duux Tag Ultrasonic Humidifier (Gen 2). This combats the stinging eyes, headache or static electricity that can be associated with dry air. Plus, its virtually silent operation promotes wellbeing and ensures a quiet home. Available in black or white, the appliance is compatible with the lavender, citronella and eucalyptus aromatherapy oils from Duux which stimulate the senses and aid relaxation.

Ultrasonic humidifier Tag by Duux

Fuss-free dishwashing

A quiet dishwasher is a must for a less noisy home, especially for small apartments or open-plan living. The Quiet Mark registered Double DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel has two independently-operating drawers, the top one at waist height to save you bending. With 15 different programs including an eco function, the DD60DDFHB9 Double DishDrawer operates at a very low decibel rate. Even the end-of-programme alert can be turned off.

Double DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel

Quiet extraction

For hush in the kitchen, the Novy Up collection of vented induction hobs comes in five different configurations, including one with an integrated wok and another with a teppanyaki plate. These can be either surface or flush-mounted. An integrated extractor tower rises up for quiet extraction while you cook, with an adjustable valve to direct extraction at a low level when frying in a shallow pan or higher up when using a tall saucepan.

Novy Up teppanyaki hob and hood combination

Peaceful ventilation

The Silent Dual extraction fan from ventilation supplier S&P UK easily fits to the wall or ceiling of a kitchen, bathroom or utility room. Its built-in humidity sensor reacts to peaks when the shower is running, while the PIR (passive infrared) detector reacts to motion in the room. Whether running continuously or intermittently, the noise levels stay low, for a quiet home. S&P UK Ventilation Systems is the UK subsidiary of global manufacturer Soler & Palau.

Quiet showering

With a Quiet Mark certified AS2000SR thermostatic power shower from Triton Showers there’s no concern over disturbance from a noisy shower pump. Designed for low-pressure, gravity-fed systems its pump provides flow rates of up to 14 litres per minute for a powerful shower. The AS2000SR maintains a constant water temperature regardless of any change in pressure. This power shower is ideal for families, as the maximum temperature limit is adjustable.

Photo: Toat/Adobe Stock

Low-noise heating

Powered by electricity, air-source heat pumps (ASHP) extract warmth from the air and convert it into heating and hot water. Vaillant heat pumps are some of the quietest examples on the market. The aroTHERM Plus 3.5kW, 5kW, 7kW and 12kW output models live outside the home, and are all Quiet Mark-certified, so they are suitable for built-up areas and terraced houses where noise control is important. The air-to-water model combines heating and hot water generation, and can used for new installations and retrofit projects.

The Vaillant aroTHERM Plus

Quiet purified air

We spend around 90% of our time inside, yet indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than that outside. This is because the environment in the home is made up of a toxic mix of particles including dust, mould, smoke, bacteria, viruses, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pet dander.

Good air quality is also important when it comes to sleeping well. This is where air purifiers can help. The Blueair HealthProtect 747Oi model is Quiet Mark certified. With HEPASilent technology it is whisper-silent so you can sleep peacefully – and breathe easily – without the worry of being disturbed.

Blueair HealthProtect 747Oi

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT QUIET APPLIANCES

For more solutions to unwanted noise, visit Quiet Mark’s Acoustics Academy at quietmark.com. You can also find out more about the importance of managing sound with the award-winning Quiet Mark podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Buzzsprout and Podbean. Listen to episode 21, with Ping Coombes (BBC MasterChef Winner & Judge) and Henk Huisseune (Innovation Director of Novy) below.

Read the original article on the Grand Designs Magazine website here.