In today’s industry, contractors are balancing tighter timelines, shifting customer expectations, and increasing pressure to meet efficiency targets. And to meet these demands, many are beginning to recognise the benefits of having an entire toolkit of the latest innovations to hand.

From simplifying procurement, to improving component compatibility and reducing callbacks, there are a host of benefits that can be unlocked when partnering with a single manufacturer.

Dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of installers, John Guest’s product offering and end-to-end support help contractors simplify installations, reduce risk, and ensure system reliability, giving them confidence in every installation.

In this blog, we highlight the modern plumbing systems that contractors can use to save time, labour and energy on-site.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Hundreds of thousands of new homes will be built under as part of the biggest housebuilding programme in a generation, driven by the most significant rewrite of planning rules in nearly a decade. In December 2025, the government revised the National Planning Policy Framework to support its ambitions to deliver 1.5 million homes – around 300,000 a year – over the current parliamentary term.

With over 85,000 young families across the UK in temporary accommodation, and many young adults struggling to join the property ladder, this represents a national effort to build good-quality homes quickly.

However, with skills and labour shortages still widespread, contractors will be relying on solutions that are simple, quick and effective to use, speeding up installation without compromising quality, performance or longevity.

John Guest offers a range of Speedfit push-fit fittings and pipes to replace time-consuming installation practices. Suitable for installers at all experience levels, these components remove the need for complex tools or soldering and have been shown to cut installation time almost in half, helping installers work smarter, not harder.

For a streamlined process that increases reliability and reduces maintenance, contractors can also benefit from John Guest’s range of advanced water control valves that combine the precision of Reliance and the speed and simplicity of Speedfit push-fit. For example, the Reliance Auto Air Vent with Speedfit connections automatically releases trapped air from within a sealed heating system, reducing the need for return work to manually bleed radiators and pipework.

Save Water, Save Time, Reduce Risk

As pressure on the UK’s water infrastructure continues to grow, installers have an increasingly important role to play in protecting both plumbing systems and the users who rely on them. Climate change, population growth and increased demand are placing greater strain on water supplies, while tighter regulations and efficiency targets mean every drop counts.

The focus is no longer simply on delivering water safely and efficiently but now includes preventing problems before they occur. By using products that detect issues early, protect system performance and reduce unnecessary water waste, installers can minimise risk, improve system resilience and help avoid costly damage.

Here are two areas that should be in every installer’s toolkit:

Water Monitoring and System Protection

Leaks, often caused by ageing infrastructure or poor connections, remain one of the leading contributors to unnecessary water loss. Leak detection technology plays an important role in reducing water wastage.

As water scarcity intensifies, consumption targets tighten, plumbing systems must work harder to prevent these avoidable losses. Early detection is one example of how installers can build greater resilience into plumbing systems while helping to reduce avoidable water loss.

The Reliance MultiSafe Leak Detector Control Valve achieves this through continuous monitoring of water consumption and alerting homeowners or residential building managers when unusually high volumes of usage are detected, enabling immediate action to be taken.

The valve monitors flow rate, pressure, temperature and water hardness, while identifying abnormal usage patterns. As well as monitoring, its isolating valve will automatically shut off the water supply when unusually high usage is detected and will send an instant alert by text or email to the homeowner or building manager. With the addition of microleak testing at regular intervals, even the smallest leak will be detected before causing damage.

Controlling Water with Valves

Installers understand the importance of reducing risk on every installation, from leaks through to safety concerns such as legionella bacteria and scalding. By thinking ahead and ensuring that their toolkit has the necessary valves, these risks can largely be avoided.

Water pressure is critical to the performance and safety of any plumbing and heating system. If it is too low, performance suffers; if it is too high, it can damage the system and create a safety risk. Whatever the property type, maintaining a safe pressure level is essential for reliable, long-lasting performance, which is why installers should fit Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs).

PRVs ensure that flow rates are appropriate for their intended use while maintaining safe pressure levels, enabling other components, such as Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs), to function effectively.

Under Part G of the Building Regulations, TMVs have been a legal requirement since 2010 for new build homes and with new bath installations in refurbishment projects. With bath water limited to 48°C at the outlet, TMVs are vital for keeping people and water supplies safe, as they help to stabilise outlet temperature to prevent the risk of users being scalded and prevent Legionella bacteria from breeding.

The Reliance Valves Easifit TMV control valve is ideal for the modern built environment as its compact design allows for easy installation in tight spaces, and its compliance with BREEAM requirements supports both water conservation and efficiency in domestic and commercial applications. To suit installation preference, the Easifit TMV is available with either union or push-fit connections.

Introducing Low-Carbon Technologies

With increasing demand to reduce carbon emissions across every stage of the built environment lifecycle, the industry is seeing a growth in low-carbon, low-temperature heat source installations – in particular for heat pumps. To stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market that has its eyes firmly set on being future-ready, installers should ensure that they can offer customers the best options when it comes to compatible heat emitters.

One such solution that is becoming increasingly popular is underfloor heating (UFH) due to its low operational temperature, cost efficiency and compatibility with heat pumps. But with high demand, installers will want systems that are quick and simple to install, without compromising on system reliability and performance.

Ideal for retrofit scenarios, John Guest Underfloor Lowfit low-profile systems provide a practical underfloor heating solution that removes the complexity of installations by keeping floor height to a minimum, while laying the system over existing subfloor structures of screed or timber.

The range offers two manifold connection methods to suit different project requirements. The Push-fit Manifold supports fast, simple installation to Polybutylene pipe, while the Euroconus Manifold provides a traditional threaded connection approach for PERT pipes that can help optimise overall project costs. Both are engineered to deliver reliable, long-term underfloor heating performance.

Your Partner for Modern Plumbing Solutions

John Guest combines pipe connection systems, water control solutions and underfloor heating technologies to help installers tackle modern plumbing challenges. With a broad range of solutions to tackle every challenge, and end-to-end service support, John Guest’s growing portfolio makes it the manufacturer of choice for professional installers across the UK.

Head to www.johnguest.com to discover more.