Homepros

Economy

Residential market is “challenged,” says Ferguson CEO

Housing starts are weaker than last year, and PVC pipe, copper, and fuel costs are up, the company noted

Residential water heater shipments slide in March, Q1

Shipments of residential gas storage water heaters fell 2.9 percent year-over-year during the month, while electric water heater shipments declined by 5.7 percent

Owens Corning warns of muted roofing demand ahead

The building products giant cited lower storm-related carryover demand as an ongoing headwind during its Q1 earnings call

Trade court rules Trump’s 10% global tariffs illegal

The president told reporters that his administration would find “a different way” to impose tariffs, and the administration is expected to appeal the ruling

Legal

DOJ sues company behind thousands of fake home service businesses

“Since at least 2018,” Premium Home Service has “deceived well over 100,000 consumers,” according to a lawsuit

Exclusive

Lawmakers eye federal ‘cool roof’ incentive

Energy incentives under the newly introduced bill could drive new demand for reflective roofing

Senate bills aim to speed apprenticeship approvals, track outcomes

The moves follow the Trump administration’s efforts to champion apprenticeships

New-home efficiency rule gets the axe

The rule would have required that gas furnaces and heat pumps meet certain energy efficiency standards, and also included requirements for duct sealing and air leakage

M&A

USA Hometown Experts exploring sale, reports say

While the reported process is in the early stages, it follows a string of private equity-backed platform activity this year

Redwood Services buys five-contractor group for $220 million

The deal marks just the second platform-buys-platform transaction among today’s residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical platforms

Watsco to buy $230 million HVAC distributor Jackson Supply

Jackson Supply Company counts 25 locations across the Sunbelt, including Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arizona

Roto-Rooter snaps up two franchises for $20.6 million

The Roto-Rooter corporate entity has been acquiring franchises to “boost productivity, market share, and profitability”

Management

Google channels diverged on paying customers, average ticket in Q1: Analysis

Google’s primary lead generation channels, from Business Profiles to Local Services Ads, in the first quarter of this year told different stories, according to one analysis