Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2015 48 Monica Fied Guest Columnist Monica Feid is Vice President at BizCom Associates, a marketing and communications firm based in Dallas, Texas. She has worked with national manufacturers, installers and service providers in the kitchen & bath industry for more than 20 years. monicafeid@bizcompr.com www.bizcompr.com UNDER THE HOOD: POWER AND NOISE IN THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE RANGE HOOD A side from looks, when it comes to shopping for a range hood, consumers want to know two things: "How much power does it have? And how loud will it be in my kitchen?" To the credit of range hood manufacturers, they understand these hot buttons. A good majority of them readily advertise the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air movement for their hoods at their highest speeds. Power sells! And a hood promoting 1200 CFM of ventilation is sexy. Back up those claims with low sone ratings—the industry term for the measurement of noise—and it should be music to the ears of buyers. However, that's where the similarities or industry standards end. How these numbers are shared can leave even the most educated shoppers a little confused and many new range hood owners unimpressed. YOU WIN SONE. YOU LOSE SONE. Customers are not professional sound engineers. It's not common knowledge how range hood noise is measured or that 1 sone is equal to the soft hum of a running refrigerator. But when industry experts equate 7 sones to the sound of casual conversation, the average person then understands a 7-sone rating is ideal if you want to talk in your kitchen while you cook. And with manufacturers marketing hoods that rate 1 or 2 sones, that's like heaven in a box! It's not until that hood is installed and used at high speeds that the proud new owner sees things differently. So where is the disconnect? WORKING SPEED… NOT WORKING FOR CONSUMERS The Home Ventilating Institute [www.hvi.org] has established parameters of range hood speeds for a blower or fan in four categories: Boost Speed, High Speed, Low Speed and Working Speed. Thanks to this baseline, many range hood manufacturers are advertising sone levels at working speed, which accurately translates to the lowest speed above 100 CFM. That's like measuring a car's gas mileage when driving 5 mph. It offers impressive data, but at a speed that doesn't apply to everyday life. Buyer beware. In the end, working speed doesn't truly work to communicate noise levels for range hoods at speeds people routinely use. The mere term is widely misinterpreted. We need more transparency about noise or sones at high speeds, and speaking of high speeds, that's also not where the rating system tops out. HIGH SPEED THAT'S NOT THE HIGHEST, OR THE LOUDEST The high speed that many manufacturers share with correlating sone ratings would imply that's as powerful and as loud as a hood can get. But, think again. With an HVI Boost Speed category, a range hood can actually go higher and louder. But does a consumer know to ask about boost speed? Probably not. However, we now have an industry where low speed is not the lowest speed and high speed is not the highest speed. While the terminology can be confusing to the general public, there's absolutely no confusion when it comes to a consumer who thinks a range hood is too loud in his or her kitchen. HEARING IS BELIEVING Live showroom displays continue to be the best way to evaluate noise levels of range hoods in operation. But working kitchens or powered displays are in the minority. Alternately, the customer must decipher the fine print from manufacturers, correlating high CFM instead of working speed with the matching sone rating. The common denominator that will empower consumers is for all manufacturers to advertise certified sone ratings at maximum speed and let the numbers do the talking. While testing to verify CFM and sone ratings is not mandated, truth in advertising instead of marketing finesse will ensure more happy range hood owners with beautiful kitchens. RO

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