British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has launched a new and improved Silent Fan, following research which reveals that consumers prefer bathroom fans which are visually unobtrusive.

This customer feedback has led to the redesign of the popular Silent Fan to offer 'visual silence' as well as acoustic silence. As a result, the new Silent Fan has simple, clean lines with a slimline fascia that looks like a bathroom tile. Operating at just 14dB(A), Vent-Axia claims the Silent Fan is now the quietest intermittent fan available.

The research follows a survey by Vent-Axia that revealed 80% of consumers are happy to pay £30 to £50 more than the price of a standard fan to achieve a relaxing bathroom. In the past, a bathroom fan was mostly seen as a functional item that needed to provide good indoor air quality at the right price. However, modern households are demanding more from their extractor fans, such as subtle aesthetics and silence, which are increasingly becoming features that consumers will pay for.

"Households are fed up of noisy bathroom fans and the irritation caused by the continuous drone of an outdated fan. Indeed, some are so distracted by the noise that they turn off their extract fans altogether, potentially leading to damage to the fabric of their property, and the twin blights of mould growth and poor air quality. Vent-Axia's Silent Fan provides the solution," explained Jenny Smith, product marketing manager at Vent-Axia.

The research confirmed that loud extractor fans are a significant source of nuisance noise in homes, with 40% of people surveyed reporting they or their children have been woken in the night by a noisy bathroom fan. The report also revealed that 55% of people questioned cited fan noise as the most annoying thing in the bathroom.

With increasingly busy lives and many people having to endure almost constant noise at work, a peaceful home to retreat to is a priority for most homeowners. As a result, many electricians are noticing an increased demand for quiet extractor fans. Holding the Noise Abatement Society's Quiet Mark 2015, the Silent Fan is 75% quieter than typical intermittent bathroom fans, and costs less than £1 a year to run.

Designed for wall, ceiling, window and panel mounting, it will also fit into existing 100mm ducts, making it suitable for replacement applications. A single 100mm axial fan capable of two-speed operation, the Silent fan performs up to 21 litres/sec and so comfortably meets the ventilation requirements of most bathrooms and toilets. Available as a standard model or as an option with an overrun timer adjustable between 5 and 30 minutes, the Silent Fan complies fully with Building Regulations Part F and L.

The Quiet Mark 2015 is the international mark of approval from the UK's Noise Abatement Society, endorsed by DEFRA, awarding the quietest high performance technology and solutions to reduce unwanted noise in our environment. The Quiet Mark is awarded following rigorous testing and approval from accredited acoustic experts, including the Association of Noise Consultants. The Quiet Mark award enables users to easily select quieter products via the online Quiet Mark Directory www.quietmark.com.

For more information, visit www.vent-axia.com.