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As 2024 ends, the home services industry is seeing rising lead costs and more complex customer journeys. In 2025, businesses should focus on generating quality leads, leveraging data and AI for optimization, and mapping customer journeys to enhance profitability.

Most plumbing companies tend to look alike, making it difficult for them to stand out. The challenge for owners is to identify a unique difference from competitors and promote it effectively.

In Europe, businesses emphasize their external impact over internal corporate culture, as seen in the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This highlights the growing importance of cultural resilience, blending community and sustainability with traditional values. Companies should therefore balance internal practices with their external footprint.

We tackled issues at a 1953 apartment complex with a failing steam system, repairing pumps and leaks. This year, we discovered significant deterioration in the 6-inch steel steam main while preparing for its replacement, highlighting the poor condition of the aging infrastructure.

Air-to-water heat pumps, especially for larger systems, can be used in stages for efficient temperature control and flexibility, utilizing variable-speed compressors and specific piping setups to manage heating and cooling loads.

Keefer Rader of Outlaw Mechanical integrated hydronic heat pumps into a solar-powered home, using a dual-fuel system with U.S. Boiler Co.'s products to manage temperature needs and isolating oxygenated radiant loops with a heat exchanger, completing the retrofit in five days.

In January 1979, a plumber dealt with severe winter emergencies, including a radiator explosion and frozen pipes. Reflecting on past experiences like a romantic evening turned dangerous by extreme cold, he faced unpredictable challenges in his trade.

Standardized piping layouts for air-to-water heat pumps can improve acceptance by facilitating a basic heating system that uses a monobloc heat pump with a 30% propylene glycol solution for freeze protection.

Advancements in the plumbing industry are driven by U.S. Department of Energy regulations, with new efficiency standards for fractional horsepower pumps set for 2028. Plumbing & Mechanical's Nicole Krawcke discussed these changes and performance improvements with Becky Henderson from Grundfos Pumps.

Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine, utilizes an efficient radiant floor heating system designed by Harriman Associates, using lower temperature water and primarily geothermal energy for a comfortable, sun-like warmth.