5 Noteworthy Plumbing Industry Trends for 2022

As 2021 comes to a close, and as economies start to recover after over a year of difficulties, we’ll see the plumbing industry adopt certain technologies as it returns to “normality”. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the plumbing industry trends that are on the rise:

#1 Heat Pumps

There’s a worldwide movement to bring down greenhouse gasses (GHG). In 2019, the United Kingdom passed a law to lower its carbon emissions by 2050. Now, in 2021, the United States has followed suit, as President Biden set a goal to significantly reduce the country’s carbon footprint by 2030. With that said, we can anticipate changes in the country’s plumbing systems, as well. In order to meet these goals, these economies are going to have to provide low-carbon heating solutions to consumers. One of the ways to do that is with heat pumps.

If the U.S. wants to stay in its path towards lowering its GHG emissions, it can consider using residential heat pumps. Plus, a proposal by CLASP and Harvard University revealed that the move to heat pumps can save Americans around $27 billion in energy bills. Aside from being eco-friendly, heat pumps are cost-efficient as they use outside air to heat the indoors.

#2 Virtual Maintenance

Gone are the days when plumbers would go to the homeowner’s house to assess the issue. Today’s customers are no longer flipping through the phonebook to look for a contractor. Instead, tech-savvy customers are leveraging video calls to coordinate with contractors. In 2022, more companies will video chat with their customers before they’re in the field. This will allow them to save time, as they can assess the issue instead of showing up without a clue.

#3 Leak Detection Through Thermal Imaging

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American household wastes around 10,000 gallons of water annually due to undetected leaks. Fortunately, one of the plumbing trends to look forward to in 2022 is leak detection through thermal imaging.

Thermal imaging works by detecting changes in the electromagnetic spectrum that indicate a water leak. In other words, it can detect when water is at a different temperature than what’s ideal.

#4 Smart (or Smarter) Irrigation Systems

Smart irrigation isn’t a new thing. Homeowners that grow crops have been leveraging smart irrigation for a long time. In 2022, however, we’ll see smarter irrigation systems that use rain sensors that can change the scheduled irrigation accordingly. We’ll also see smart controllers that can create irrigation schedules from weather forecasts.

#5 Predictive Pipe Maintenance

Homes that see intense wintry weather will be glad to know that in 2022, they won’t have to worry about their pipes bursting without warning. Through smart technologies, plumbing companies are now able to alert customers when ice crystals have started to form over their pipes. That way, homeowners will have time to find a professional who can conduct preventive maintenance.

Conclusion

There’ll be more plumbing industry trends in 2022, some of which we can’t foresee. But if there’s anything the past year has shown us, it’s that industry trends adapt to all sorts of situations. If you’re interested in the trends discussed above, consider contacting your local HVAC professional.