For years, environmental considerations and sustainability have influenced innovation in manufacturing, and in 2021, those factors became the driving force behind new product development. 

The commercial building community is giving its full attention to improving indoor air quality as we attempt to make our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s true that germs and pathogens can be carried through the air, we’re forgetting how easy it is to pick them up through the water we drink, wash our hands with and cook our food in.

The stakes are always high for commercial businesses’ decisions and especially those related to equipment investments. Every penny adds up and, in some industries like restaurants, margins are notoriously unforgiving. 

Even though PEX has a long history in construction applications, its early North American beginnings in residential radiant floor heating systems more than 35 years ago dubbed it a “residential” product for the first decade or so.

The Hartford Insurance Co., in its statistical review of types of insurance claims, lists water and freeze damage to properties accounts for 15% of their insurance claims. The total annual losses due to water damages cost the United States $15 billion dollars, according to Iproperty Management.

Apartment buildings and condominiums are home to families with different comfort preferences or attitudes on energy use. Similarly, many commercial buildings are divided into spaces where tenants have different temperature requirements or usage schedules.

EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool is the industry standard for measuring and tracking energy performance within commercial buildings, in use by more than 275,000 buildings, which comprise one-quarter of all U.S. commercial building floorspace.