The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), offering an incredible opportunity for impact through industry change. 

The inclusion of sustainability within legislation, regulation, codes, and standards can be a powerful tool to advance resource conservation, building decarbonization, and climate change resiliency within the construction industry. This blog details some of the most prevalent current topics relevant to promoting sustainability within the industry through governance and policy. 

Microplastics are tiny and typically derive from larger objects. They are often broken down by sunlight, oxygen, or friction. This blog addresses concerns that plastic piping systems, such as polyethylene (PE), crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), polyethylene of raised temperature (PE-RT), polypropylene (PP), and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) leach microplastics into drinking water and contaminate the water supply. 

PEX (an acronym for crosslinked polyethylene) is a popular, high-performance piping solution for residential and commercial applications. However, the assumption that all PEX is created equal is not true and can lead to costly mistakes. Using inferior PEX can result in troublesome issues, requiring expensive repiping efforts that can also damage your reputation with customers.

Uponor AquaPEX® and Uponor ChlorFIT® Schedule 80 Corzan® CPVC deliver the best of both worlds, from one source, adapting to diverse installation environments and reducing labor time to keep water flowing through buildings smoothly for decades to come.

The snowy Québec winters require an effective method for snow and ice removal that minimizes labor time and costs while also addressing project demands, so the Royalmount team chose an Uponor Snowmelt System to meet the energy-efficient design requirements and solve the problem of snow and ice removal.

In the USA, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) controls water meter standards. This industry association has specific standards for water meter threads in the United States. If you are new to the waterworks or metering industry, meter and meter connection sizing can be confusing. Read below to learn how to correctly size PEX piping with municipal water meters.  

The use of PEX piping for plumbing, fire safety, and radiant systems continues to increase due to its durability, installation ease, and long-lasting performance. However, what is less known is how all the benefits of PEX directly relate to sustainability for a project. 

Decarbonization is one of the most critical challenges facing industries today, and engineers are at the forefront of this transition. Already well-versed in concepts of energy efficiency and system optimization, momentum in this next facet of an engineer’s work has grown in even just the past few years and will continue to do so within the near future. 

As the world grapples with the urgency of climate change, the role of engineers has become central in reducing carbon emissions across the scope of the building process. 

Repair with confidence using Uponor's innovative plumbing solutions. Uponor TotalFit™ push-to-connect fittings and PEX-a pipe simplifies installations and boosts productivity.

Discover what all those letters, numbers, and codes mean that are printed on the side of Uponor PEX-a pipe and why it’s important for installers to know this information. 

Radiant heating industry veteran Dave Yates explains to PM Engineer how the Uponor PEX-a pipes installed in his home more than 30 years ago are still durable and reliable, despite decades of use.