We are just back from the national Remodeling Show in Chicago, a meeting of remodeling professionals from around the country, and many of the suppliers upon whom we rely. The Remodeling Show is a great resource for ideas, and we also see some new products that we know will help our clients.
The biggest buzz around the show was about how to reach potential clients via social media. Most builders are proficient with computers, but the subtleties of social media, blogs and Twitter escape them. We started a Twitter feed of our own last month @ventanabuilds and it’s been great for short, easy-to-post bits of information. It’s also been fun to see the number of followers grow. There was a lot of talk at the conference about using monthly email blasts to reach out to clients, but I wondered what is the best way to get the right information to those who really want it. If any of our readers have input, we’d appreciate hearing from you.
One of products I was happiest to see at the conference is a new exhaust fan from Panasonic. Yes, exhaust fans aren’t that sexy, but when they work well, they improve indoor air quality and they save you money. The traditional exhaust fan goes on and stays on until you turn it off, or you can use a switch with a timer. But a timer doesn’t always do the trick. A long shower can put enough humidity in the air that even when the time is up, the bathroom is still muggy. Or, as happens at our house, the fan simply never gets switched on in the kids’ bathroom. They just don’t think about it.
The new Panasonic fan is motion “on” with an interior timer (no ugly timer on the switch) and and humidity “off”.
Motion on/Humidity off Panasonic exhaust fan
Both the timer and humidity levels are adjustable inside the fan, so once you’ve set them, you really never have to think about the fan again. It turns on and off at the preset levels. Love it! It’s so new that it’s not on the Panasonic website yet, but the reps at the booth said it is available.
There’s also a new switch with the humidistat inside the switch itself, so you can even retrofit your existing fans. It’s a nice way to make sure your old fans don’t stay on forever, and saves money in operating costs because the fan only runs when you need it. Nice solution to an old problem.
Switch turns exhaust fan on, and stays until until humidity is low