Ferguson posts $31 billion year, sees labor shortage as opportunity
Last week, CEO Kevin Murphy suggested that the labor environment in the skilled trades presents an opportunity for Ferguson, particularly due to its scale
Plumbing
HARDI report sizes up HVAC, plumbing markets
In 2025, estimated combined total U.S. revenues among residential and commercial HVAC and plumbing contractors exceeded $327 billion
Electric water heater shipments top 5 million in 2025 as gas lags
In 2024, residential electric water heater shipments crossed five million units for the first time on record, and in 2025, crossed it again
Colorado lawmakers urged to exempt propane water heaters from ultra-low NOx rule
An estimated 100,000 households in Colorado use propane water heaters
Champions Group strikes $2.5 billion Blackstone deal
The deal marks the first major platform-level residential HVAC transaction since May 2025
Rheem aims to hold 1 million plumber trainings by 2035
A Rheem spokesperson told Homepros that trainings will take place at the company’s Innovation Learning Centers, of which there are over a dozen worldwide
Residential water heater shipments spike in December, flat in 2025
Roughly 4.25 million gas water heaters were shipped in 2025, up 1.8 percent from 2024, while electric water heater shipments fell 0.6 percent to just over 5 million
Gen Z survey: 60% want into the trades
Gen Z has been increasingly drawn to the trades, a trend that could help fill the roughly 40,000 job openings for HVAC techs and installers projected each year until 2032
Federal bill could cut contractor training costs by up to 50%
The Employer-Directed Skills Act would ultimately establish employer-directed skills accounts through which the federal government would reimburse employers’ training costs
Senate hearing warns of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems
There are approximately 170,000 water and wastewater utilities across the U.S., whose systems are increasingly utilizing digital tools