Reid talks about her agency’s work as well as the 2024 presidential election.

Water-to-water heat pumps, supplied from geothermal earth loops, represent a growing sector of the hydronic heat source market. Most current-generation models can produce water temperatures up to about 125° F, perhaps a little higher if you’re willing to push the compressor operating envelope.

Although the market for solar thermal systems is a tiny fraction of what it once was, I still believe there are viable applications that could help in decarbonizing thermal energy systems.

Hydronic-based heating and cooling systems stand ready to offer plenty of design and performance benefits. One of them is the potential for thermal storage.

There is a growing interest in adding air-to-water heat pumps to existing hydronic heating systems. While I support their use, I do not recommend replacing a perfectly good cast-iron boiler that still has a long service life.

In rural upstate New York, residents harvest trees for firewood using chainsaws and hydraulic splitters. I burn about two face cords annually in my wood stove, enjoying its warmth during winter and relying on it during power outages caused by outdated utility lines.

Flow direction is crucial in hydronic systems. Most designs have a fixed flow direction, but there are situations where reversals can occur. It's important to address these proactively to ensure smooth operations.

In 2024, the North American air-to-water heat pump market saw significant expansion, with nine new offerings introduced at the January AHR show by companies new to this category. By year's end, at least 18 companies either have or plan to offer these pumps in the U.S. Read the list of these companies as of mid-2024.

The consumer mindset around bathing is evolving to view showering as far more than a simple rinse to get clean, but rather as a time to relax, unwind and wash away the day-to-day stresses of life. In fact, consumers are making purchases to support this shift. According to a recent survey commissioned by GROHE, more than 65% of respondents are enhancing their time in the shower with various add-ons, such as soothing aromas, music and gentle rain shower products to elevate their “me time.”

In the United States, bidet sales have grown steadily at a year-over-year rate of 14% to 15%. According to Stephanie Ewing, director, Wholesale North America for Bemis Manufacturing Co., specifying bidets is “becoming a market need driven by market demand. The pandemic started the trend of increased consumer awareness that a solution other than toilet paper was available, as well as an increased focus on hygiene.”

The decision to build the first CO₂-neutral ceramic production facility in Canada is a significant investment for a sustainable future for the global brand and a vital step for climate neutrality by 2045.

Multiple generations living together under one roof, has challenged traditional ideas about space utilization and functionality.

Luxury bathrooms and kitchens have evolved, and the home improvement market is booming with IT-connected products. People want to control their heating, kitchen appliances, and plumbing products through apps.

Hands-on training supported over 2,200 students in The Philippines, Mexico and Thailand.

Metsä Board will write down the costs of the pre-engineering, in total approximately EUR 8 million, treated as an investment, as an item affecting comparability in the January-March 2024 operating result.

It’s déjà vu all over again” is a famous quote by the late, great Yogi Berra. I’ve lived this scenario, and I’m betting you have, too. I’m talking about callbacks — the woe of the contracting industry.

Planning ahead helps ensure you get the most out of the events you attend.

When I was the last of the three brothers to enter the family business, my dad said to me, “I owe you an opportunity, not a guarantee.”

It was still hot and sweaty in the midday sun just a couple of days after Labor Day in New York, and at first glance, you’d think we were out in the yard in the dead of winter.

The old adage goes, “Do something good for someone and they’ll tell 10 people. Do something bad to someone and they’ll tell 100 people.”

A client called me awhile back because he wanted to know what my family did with the scrap metal from jobsites, and he wanted to know what the other companies I work with do on this matter too.

Why is it that your staff isn’t quite as excited as you are when you discuss a new project, a new process, new policy or a habit you want to change?

There are only two types of companies I’ve ever worked with in my 18 years of being a consultant to the contracting industry.

“Hire willing people and provide them the skills — as opposed to hiring spoiled, experienced people with skills and behavior problems.” 

One of the most common things I see when I begin my work with a new contracting client is the resistance to train employees. 

Bad attitudes are everywhere, or so it would appear. In most cases, it is based on nothing other than your opinion. 

The conversation typically goes like this: The owner tells me, “Al, I don’t know if I can get buy-in here for the operating manuals.”

By the time you read this, most people’s New Year’s resolutions or goals will be a distant memory, and they’ll be back to doing the same things they said they weren’t going to do. 

Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Zoeller’s state-of-the-art training facility, the Center for Excellence, has been drawing contractors, engineers and distributors in for product training over the past five years. 

For years, environmental considerations and sustainability have influenced innovation in manufacturing, and in 2021, those factors became the driving force behind new product development.

The commercial water heating market has options for building owners and facility managers when it comes to selecting equipment for their facilities — tank or tankless, gas models or electric — even heat pump water heaters are seeing growth in this space. So which is the most popular? Well, it all depends on who you ask.

The week includes classroom instruction, an International Apprentice Contest, certification exams and demonstrations and a graduation ceremony in which 170 will be honored for their completion of the certificate program and an additional 45 will earn associate degrees from WCC.

Best practices for designing and installing PEX to leverage the benefits of installation efficiencies, job-site safety and profitability potential.

BNP Media’s Plumbing Group, which includes Plumbing & Mechanical, PM Engineer and Supply House Times, is launching our inaugural Next Gen All Star —Top 20 Under 40 contest.

According to a Gallup study, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days. At any given company, it's not uncommon for employees to feel that their best efforts are routinely ignored.

As members of Congress debate the very science behind “climate change,” there are a slew of cities — and now one state — taking matters into their own hands and enacting natural gas bans for new construction buildings.

As I write this month’s column, I’m attending Plumbing Manufacturer’s International annual Manufacturing Success conference in Louisville, Kentucky. PMI has done a great job with its programming content this year, especially with keynote presenter Andrew Winston, a corporate environmental strategist and author, who discussed how today’s companies are now expected to take a stand against the world’s social and environmental problems — and in doing so, earn a profit.

As the water receded from Lake Mead this past year, all the major news headlines focused on the human remains it revealed. Very rarely did any mention the ecosystem in crisis as trees, fish and other aquatic creatures, birds and other species are dying out as they are left out to dry.

When I first started working for Plumbing & Mechanical’s sister publication, The ACHR NEWS in 2014, I was often the only woman in the room at industry events. Those first few conferences were just a bit intimidating. In fact, it wasn’t until a HARDI annual conference that I first met other women in the industry — shout out to Colleen Keyworth, director of sales and marketing for Online-Access and immediate past president of Women in HVACR, for her immediate friendship then and for all the years since!

BNP Media’s Plumbing Group is finally settling back in after a whirlwind of travel this past month. We’ve been racking up those frequent flier miles attending NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), IMARK Plumbing, the AHR Expo and the WWETT show. While there was a ton to see at each event, for the purposes of this column, we’re going to focus on KBIS.

Last month, the Biden-Harris Administration announced it is proposing the first-ever national drinking water standard for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The proposal, if finalized, would regulate PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants, and will regulate four other PFAS — PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals — as a mixture.

Many of us have heard the term, ‘The Great Resignation,’ in describing the massive amount of employee turnover the last few years. In 2021, federal data shows nearly 50 million workers left their jobs for various reasons — higher pay, new career opportunities and more. With an already strained job market in the skilled trades, employee retention is more important than ever.

A few weeks back I was having a conversation with a plumbing and HVAC contracting business owner. During the beginning of our discussion, he abruptly told me, “I just use ChatGPT to do your job.”

In my years in the workforce, I’ve had jobs with amazing bosses and managers. On the flip side, I’ve also had terrible managers who made me question whether or not I wanted to stay in that organization.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of teenagers who have driver’s licenses have declined. You wouldn’t think this matters to the home service contracting industry, but it does.

Plumbing and HVAC contractors can help alleviate financial worries by offering multiple financing options.

Generosity is the new marketing. In this era of social media, charitable companies can earn an enhanced brand reputation as being a “good” company and will make people want to do business with them.

When a plumbing contracting company wants to grow, it can expand its geographic area by opening a new location, adding a new trade, or buying out another business.

The construction industry is often associated with strength, resilience and tough work. However, there has been an alarming rise in mental health challenges. MCAA is taking that to heart with the first-ever public release of its suicide prevention video.