It is fair to say that damp, mould and condensation are a prevalent issue within homes in the UK; especially as we see the colder days hitting us hard at the moment and condensation filling many of our windows. And if you are a UK resident, you may be in the market to buy a dehumidifier. But what you also may have found is that you just can’t get your hands on one. Why? Well, we hope we can shed some light on that.
Why we were featured in BBC News
This week, we were featured in a BBC article that made it into the daily top ten! This BBC feature has provided us the perfect platform to tell our story and explain why we have been struggling to meet demand.
In the article, our very own Chris Michael, Managing Director, expresses that “Demand has been bonkers.” He adds, “Last Christmas, we had a waiting list of 20,000 people seeking a dehumidifier – we bought in more stock but it just wasn’t enough to meet the demand. This year, we planned to supply 100,000 additional units, a total of 280,000, and we are still seeing many customers on waiting lists.”
“Next year, we plan to bring in even higher levels of stock to meet this increased demand which we hope will decrease waiting lists and better care for our customers.”
A dehumidifier is the new must-have item
Dehumidifiers have always been thought of as a niche thing to own; but, over the years, they have become a household essential. We often hear from our customers saying they wonder how they ever managed without one!
Not only has the need changed, but we also have seen a change in the buying habits of our customers and customers across the air treatment market. Where we used to almost exclusively sell fans in the summer and dehumidifiers in the winter, we are able to provide a huge variety of products all year round – and with the increasingly unpredictable and colder weather hitting us this winter, we’ve seen a huge interest for dehumidifiers. And this has been growing year on year.
So, why is demand for dehumidifiers so high?
There are a number of different factors that explain this ‘boom’ in dehumidifier sales, but we at Meaco, as well as the BBC, will attempt to summarise why this could be:
- Protecting the home from damp and mould growing
- Damp and mould is a common problem found in UK homes, especially during the colder months. Dehumidifiers extract excess moisture from the home, keeping the relative humidity to a comfortable level, and, more importantly, destroying the environment for mould to grow.
- Energy prices increasing
- With energy prices remaining high many homeowners are turning their thermostats down, reducing the number of hours a day that they run their heating for, reducing the number of rooms that they heat or a combination of all of these things. The lower room temperatures result in a higher relative humidity and this can create damp issues, which in turn increases demand for a dehumidifier.
- More awareness around home air quality
- Many are learning about the importance of maintaining optimal indoor humidity levels for health and comfort. And after the COVID-19 pandemic, with its focus on indoor air quality, this fact has only intensified this demand.
Being featured on the BBC is more than just a feather in our cap, it’s a recognition of our dedication to excellence and thought leadership in the dehumidification space. Our journey to the BBC spotlight has been because of our dedicated effort to listen to our customers’ feedback and engineer better products as a result. As a company, we’ve always believed in the importance of creating products that contribute to a healthier and more comfortable living environment.
Read the full article from the BBC here.
If you have been affected by the high demand on stock and have any queries, please email customerservice@meaco.com for the best care and advice.
You can also register your interest for any out of stock products on our website. Simply open the product page you are interested in (such as the MeacoDry ABC 10L) and click “Notify me when available”, let us know your email address and when stock arrives back in, we can drop you an email to let you know stock is back in and it is available to purchase.
5 Responses
I have had the DD8L i for over 12 years now. For three years I lived permanently on a 46′ steel yacht, with large windows, single glazed in aluminum frames and in North Holland. I then switched to my current 38′ sailing yacht and am now stationary on the Azores Islands. Known for high humidity! The new DD8l ZAMBEZI is also permanently at work here. The result has been convincing for me for 12 years now. No water stains on the mahogany, upholstery or closets. Everything is dry, no bad musty smell and therefore a comfortable living climate. Without these dehumidifiers, I couldn’t imagine living on board.
The only negative point is that the ION filter should be available to buy as a spare part, as it loses its filtering ability and ionizing capacity over the years. That would be a tip, wouldn’t it?
Thomas, thank you for your feedback.
It is worth noting the Ioniser on the Zambezi is a sterilizing, comparing to the standard DD8L, it does offer a more powerful impact. In addition to this, this part is not replaceable as a filter, being built in, it will last and likely longer than other parts in the unit.
Thanks again for your valued business and feedback. If we can assist with anything else please get in touch.
Hope this helps,
Omar@Meaco.
I don’t know how we survived for so long without our dehumidifier. What prompted us you probably remember on the news about the young girl who died due to poor quality air well, she lived just down the road from us. Once we learn about the difficult difficulties in the quality of air and the moisture problem within our own home, we researched and discovered the benefits and immediately purchased one. Personally all new homes should be fitted with one. It should be part of building regulations. I don’t know how anyone survives without having Cleaner and mould free.
When do l know when to put my dehumidifier on and when to turn it off.
Thank you for your enquiry.
Good news – you can let your dehumidifier do this for you, giving you a user friendly unit.
How does this work?
You set your target, your unit works to achieve this level of relative humidity, thereafter every 30 minutes, it will turn on or off, depending on if there has been an increase in humidity.
Perfectly safe to be left switched on, you can rest knowing your unit will always be ready to monitor and turn on whereby humidity has increased.
I hope this helps, for more information please contact us to discuss.
Omar@Meaco.