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Last month, I reviewed 10 marketing myths that plumbers often fall victim to. Since you know what these myths are now, hopefully you will stay clear of them. My column this month reviews 10 more false beliefs that can cost your business....More

On June 24, a coalition of 22 trade associations sent a letter to the Department of Energy, wondering why it seems like they are getting frozen out of residential energy auditing and retrofit work. The issue at hand is the voluminous Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades. The guidelines are filled with all sorts of stuff about HVAC and plumbing. The problem, according to the 22 organizations signatory to the June 24 letter, is that nobody asked the plumbing and HVACR industries about this stuff....More

With millions of owners stuck in homes worth less than they owe on their mortgages, existing home sales remain depressed while new home sales continue near record lows....More

It is becoming more difficult to find topics for this column that point to an upbeat outlook for our current economic malaise. I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know when I say work and job prospects, across the board, are in the tank....More

AT OAK CREEK Plumbing Kitchens & Bathrooms in Oak Creek, Wis., service is of the utmost importance, as it should be for any plumbing company....More

Fossil fuel guzzling has fallen out of favor. Alternative fuels and energy efficiency are in demand, especially when the source of energy is wood, the ultimately renewable resource....More

CHICAGO — The good news for contractors for 2011 is that we’ve run out of bad news. This year won’t be spectacular but it will be incrementally better than 2010 and way better than 2009....More

As is our custom each January, we ask prominent players in the industry what kind of business conditions they expect to see in the coming year. Manufacturers are cautiously optimistic. They can be. Many of them are in multiple lines of work across the country and internationally, so they benefit from that diversity. Contractors, however, are not so sure....More

Bob Schmitt from the Home Remodel Workshop offers common-sense advice...More

USGBC has added Green Plumbers USA to its GreenHomeGuide.com directory of green residential professionals....More

Running a service business is challenging. If only the customer understood just how much work and how many people are involved in a single service call. As a plumbing/HVAC company, we incur many costs just getting our technician and truck out there, ready and able to complete a job....More

HAMILTON, N.J. — Frank Maddalon is taking over the reins at the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors – National Association at a difficult time. The economy is struggling and many plumbing contractors feel that they are under siege by government regulations....More