The quiet revolution

By JO HOWARD for PROGRESSIVE ELECTRICAL NEWS

Image (above) - Quiet boil: Breville Curve VKT117 Jug Kettle is a new addition to the family of Quiet Mark appliances. 

The search for quieter home appliances was the topic of a recent news report on BBC Breakfast, featuring interviews with Quiet Mark founder Poppy Szkiler and Laurence Mitchell, technology director at John Lewis. 

Poppy acknowledges that home working, due to the pandemic, has made consumers more conscious of the noises inside their homes, resulting in more searches for Quiet Mark certified appliances. “It’s becoming a mega trend,” she told BBC technology reporter, Zoe Kleinman, elaborating: “People are looking to create more peaceful homes because life has become literally under one roof.”

Poppy explained how Quiet Mark does not merely consider sound by its decibel ratings but in measures of overall sound quality, hence “seeing which appliances are best insulated and isolated for the best noise reduction within our home.”

JohnLewis.com’s appliance page has a “quiet revolution” tab, with technology director Laurence Mitchell reporting over 10,000 searches a month for appliances that include the term “quiet” on the retailer’s website. Quiet kettles and washing machines are the two appliances that are most searched for. 

Silent sellers

Breville Curve VKT117 Jug Kettle is one of the latest small appliances to achieve Quiet Mark certification (see main story). “Kettles are the perennial top hit on our website,” confirms Simon Gosling, chief marketing officer for Quiet Mark. Unsurprisingly given the pandemic, Simon also recognises an increased interest in quiet air purifiers. 

Image: The Quiet Mark certified Blue Pure 411 Air Purifier is said to ‘catch virtually every airborne contaminant down to a virus in size.’

Quiet Mark has certified a wide range of air purifiers that remove almost 100% of airborne particles. Such particles can lead to issues such as exacerbated asthma and allergy symptoms, the spread of illnesses like colds, flu and other airborne viruses, impaired development in children, and reduced sleep quality. Moreover, a recent study by Harvard University found that when office air quality was improved, productivity increased by 61%. 

Read the original article in the August 2021 issue of Progressive Electrical here.