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Public Vote Now Open For UK POTY

Public Vote Now Open For UK POTY

The UK Plumber of the Year 2019 competition (@UKPOTY), launched by JT, Bristan and Wolseley, has revealed the ten finalists shortlisted for the competition. Industry members and supporters are encouraged to vote for their favourite nominee. 

Watersafe, the official judging partner of the competition, was tasked with narrowing down entries from across the country to just ten finalists. The next stage of the competition is the ‘Vote for me’ round, where the individual plumbers will be narrowed down by the public to the final five.

The final ten, in alphabetical order, are:

Plumbing entrepreneur calls for Brexit extension

Plumbing entrepreneur Charlie Mullins talks about Brexit

Speaking ahead of the announcement of the next Prime Minister, plumbing entrepreneur and founder of Pimlico, Charlie Mullins OBE said:

“Isn't it about time we all stopped living in denial of a few basic facts about the 2019, pre-Brexit world that we find ourselves living in? And that goes double for prime minister elect, Boris Johnson.

Firstly, it's a forgone conclusion that Boris Johnson will be the next inhabitant of Number 10. There will be lots of paper printed in next 24 hours, but none of the speculation is worth the cover price, since the only other candidate, Jeremy Hunt, will not get close to winning.

Plumbing is the UK’s most admired skill

A man plumbing in a sink

Plumbing is the UK’s most admired skill, according to 2,000 adults

If you can fix a leak or install a washing machine the chances are you’re a hero to your friends and family, as new research conducted by property maintenance specialists Aspect.co.uk, reveals the everyday skills we admire most.

According to the nationwide poll of 2,000 adults, plumbing skills attract more admiration than any other skill, especially from women and over-55s.

Researchers asked 1022 women and 978 men to rank a range of skills for impressiveness, using a scale of one to ten, with ten being ‘extremely impressive’.

80% Of Brits Wasting Water Regularly

Woman pouring a drink from a tap and not wasting water

80% of Brits admit to committing wasting water regularly. One in five (21%) still leaves the tap running when brushing their teeth or washing their face (20%). 

The Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS) asked consumers about their everyday water usage habits* to identify the most common offenders for water inefficiency. Using less water is not only good for the environment, it can save money too.

As the nation is basking in high temperatures, many residents might be tempted to use more water, but WRAS is urging them to be more mindful when turning the tap to avoid the chances of water restrictions and hose pipe bans. 

This Is How The Hot Weather Is Impacting Employee Attendance

The sunshine in hot weather

Pulling a sickie to work on that tan or head to the beach? Apparently not. Official data sourced by ELAS from one of the countries most highly regarded absence management systems, Attendance Pro, has highlighted that absences haven’t spiked during the hot weather in July.

The data shows that out of the top 5 most common days to have off ill this month, four of them were Mondays (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd) whilst the fifth most common was Wednesday 24th, when the temperature reached a mammoth 30 degrees. It’s commonplace throughout the year for Monday to be the most popular day for absences.

Altecnic leads the way for better system care

leading the way fir better system care

Altecnic, the UK's leading supplier of hydronic solutions and part of the Caleffi Group, leads the way for better system care and has welcomed the latest revision of the British standard for heating and cooling systems, BS 7593:2019, as it takes a whole system care perspective to the health of heating and cooling systems and not just at a component level.

BS 7593:2019 came into effect on 31st May 2019 and includes a number of significant key changes for those installing, specifying and maintaining domestic heating and cooling systems. For the first time, the fitting of a permanent in-line filter is mandatory in addition to a fresh water flush and extensive chemical clean before the inhibitor is added. Furthermore, an in-line filter must now be fitted to all systems.

Plumber Earnings Rebound In June

Plumber Earnings Graphs

Weekly earnings for self-employed plumbing contractors rebounded last month, according to the latest figures released by Hudson Contract.

Analysis of June payroll data for more than 2,200 construction companies in England and Wales reveals a month-on-month increase of 4.7 per cent to an average of £1,132. The rise reverses the 3.2 per cent fall seen in May.

Year on year, weekly earnings showed a 4.3 per cent improvement in June compared to the same month in 2018, illustrating the strong underlying demand for plumbers.

Plumbing remains the second-best paid of all 17 construction trades covered by Hudson Contract. Shop-fitters retained top place for the second month.

Survey reveals high job satisfaction amongst UK tradespeople

Tradespeople at work

Almost three quarters of tradespeople in the UK are happy in their work, despite working long hours and regular weekends, according to a new survey carried out by the country’s largest online supplier of ironmongery, IronmongeryDirect.

The poll, completed by over 950 tradespeople, saw 72% of respondents rate themselves as ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ in their current role, with 70% saying they would recommend their job to others. This was despite almost half (46%) of those surveyed working over 45 hours every week, 54% regularly working weekends and almost a third (29%) taking less than two weeks holiday a year.