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When a plumbing engineer receives the design of a health care building — our minds gravitate to designing the system to optimize all the different considerations I mentioned above — with the fixture layout the architect has developed. But what if the layout changed? What if the amount of fixtures were reduced? 

Heat pumps are growing in importance due to climate change. Extensive investment in heat pump technology has led to higher heating capacities and smaller equipment sizes.

Have you heard of terms like "circular economy" or "EPR"? They describe regulations aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting recycling. Let's explore California's draft regulation for implementing the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act.

A problem is developing with the transition to electric heating: peak demand. Learn how air-to-water heat pumps tackle seasonal needs but struggle during extreme cold, leading to reliance on electric resistance heating.

Sooke School District responded to the influx of young families by swiftly constructing schools for 1,200 students. These LEED v4 Gold-certified buildings seamlessly integrated into the landscape, featuring photovoltaic panels, geothermal HVAC, and district heating for efficiency. Underground piping ensured optimal comfort while minimizing waste.

The 20 products highlighted here have earned the distinction of being PM Engineer’s Top Products of 2023 based on the number of pageviews on www.pmengineer.com. Congratulations to those products on this year’s list.

BNP Media’s Plumbing Group was in attendance at the 2024 AHR Expo in Chicago, talking to exhibitors about industry trends and what to expect in 2024.

Water scarcity is a growing issue globally. Some regions are adopting water reuse and rainwater capture solutions. Onsite water reuse can help save money, reduce water demands, and manage stormwater flows. With onsite water reuse, you can reuse up to 95% of a building's wastewater.

Introducing Safe Shower's new showerhead that minimizes the growth of biofilm and pathogens like Legionella. The showerhead circulates disinfectants like chlorine or UV water and uses UVC LED disinfectant approach that generates electricity using a tiny turbine.

The Water Demand Calculator has been adopted in several states and cities, including California and Seattle, and is expanding peak flow rate calculations into commercial buildings. The future looks bright as version 3.0 is in the works for commercial buildings.