Survey Says: 2019 Data Shows Re-Piping Evolution as PE-RT Piping Gains Traction

In a 2016 Trend post, we reported a brisk change underway in the home re-piping market. At that time, CPVC occupied the dominant position, and PEX was in third and gaining ground rapidly; this mirrored the rapid ascent of PEX in the new home piping market from a decade earlier. With the 2019 Consumer Practices Survey (CPS) now complete, we have seen that market continues to evolve in favor of PEX. But there’s also a new material in the mix — PE-RT, or raised-temperature polyethylene, is beginning to make a measurable impact.

Source: Home Innovation's Annual Consumer Practices Survey.

In step with the 2016 trend, this year’s CPS report on plumbing piping in home remodeling showed that CPVC continued as the most popular potable water piping installed in existing homes but with a much narrower margin. PEX was not far behind, overtaking copper only in the past year. Distantly following was PE / PE-RT – a small share but mighty momentum, doubling from 3% to 6% of the market in a single year.

The CPS also includes market shares for piping materials installed in partial replacements to new fixtures in homes. This subset of the market is changing in a similar way to the whole-home re-piping market, albeit at a much more relaxed pace. Reflecting the slower pace of change, the PE / PE-RT category progressed from 2% to 3% of partial replacements and new fixture plumbing in the past year.

Source: Home Innovation's Annual Consumer Practices Survey.

The home repair and remodeling market is often overlooked by plumbing piping manufacturers and suppliers as an opportunity for growth — instead, focus for market growth is primarily on the new home construction market, where piping buyers are concentrated among a single trade and purchase channel. Buyers of plumbing piping for replacement and remodeling include a more diverse group: service plumbers; whole-house re-piping contractors; home remodeling general contractors; and do-it-yourselfers; and many more channels to market. To better understand the highly fragmented remodeling market, Home Innovation conducts a survey of more than 100,000 U.S. and Canadian households that asks about their repair and remodeling activities, including plumbing piping and fixture installations.

Keeping up with purchasing trends is crucial in maintaining the health of your building products business. Our Consumer Practices Reports are available for the following product categories:

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Don’t let fragmentation keep you from pursuing prospective growth areas of your products’ markets. Our annual reports can help you position your products in today's changing market. And they’re available for immediate delivery! Contact us for a sample report or to place your order.

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