OUTLETThe Official Reece Customer Update

ISSUE#92 May 2009

We welcome your feedback so please send any comments by e-mail to outlet@reece.com.au or by fax to (03) 9274 0131.

Testing the water.How to choose a hot water heater.Winter’s coming, and many of your customers will be thinking about upgrading their hot water heaters. But there are so many options. And so many things to consider.

One of the key considerations is the environment:

Hot water systems can account for •25% of household CO2 emissions, and replacing an electric unit with solar or heat pump is equal to taking a car off the road in terms of environmental impact.

Solar and heat pump units are becoming more popular, especially with government rebates. In fact, recent statistics from suppliers show that sales of heat pump and solar units are growing at a significantly higher rate than other categories:

Heat pumps sales doubled last year.• Solar, which has been getting popular •for longer, also grew significantly. It is predicted that heat pump and •solar will be at least 60% of the entire hot water unit market within two years.

It’s hardly surprising, since these systems are cheaper to run, and more environmentally friendly. Heat pumps are particularly easy to upgrade from standard electric systems, as they use the same plumbing and electrical connections.

We’ve included some more information about the hot water unit market on page 2.

The new Reece Hot Water Decisions Guide will help you help your customers make the right decision. It’s on the website or ask at your Reece Plumbing Centre.

HOTWATERdecisions guide

GRAF Big Carat Winners

In the GRAF Big Carat competition we asked you to tell us about installing a GRAF Carat Underground Rainwater Tank and how you or your customers are making use of the extra space.

More details about the winners on page 2.

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Australians love their backyards. And, more and more, they’re falling in love with their water tanks. Now there’s a way they can have both. GRAF Carat underground water tanks store plenty of water, and they store it out of sight, under the backyard.

In the GRAF Big Carat competition we asked you to tell us about installing a GRAF Carat underground water tank and how you or your customers are making use of the extra space. The response was overwhelming. We even received a couple of poems (they’re on our website).

Adam from Mount Lawley, WA calculates he’ll save around 2.16 million litres of water over the next ten years. Adam from Mudgee, NSW is also saving water and space, while Shane from Yeppoon, Queensland, reckons if his GRAF (the first in Central Queensland) is ever empty it’d make the perfect esky.

GRAF Big Carat competition winners.

bathroomplanner<

Plan your ideal bathroom online

Visit www.reece.com.au/bathrooms/planner for more details

Each winner gets a trip for two to Europe, with a visit to the Graf factories in France and Germany and sightseeing tours in the fabulous food and wine regions of both countries.

Thanks to all who entered, and don’t forget to check out the winners and the finalists on www.reece.com.au/outlet

The winners were Entrenched Landscapes and MacPherson & Willott Constructions.Entrenched Landscapes, of Cronulla, NSW, proves that their creativity isn’t limited to plumbing.

Our clients proposed that they wish to store, Rainwater on site, but wait there is more, 30,000L no less, in some way, shape or form, And we don’t want to see it, we want a green lawn.

So while the machines dug a hole in the ground, We rocked up to Reece, there an answer we found, GRAF’s rainwater tanks were the perfect solution, With all the support that we needed for a perfect execution.

Read the rest of Entrenched Landscapes clever poem at www.reece.com.au/outlet

MacPherson & Willott Constructions recently installed a pair of GRAF Carat 3,750L rainwater tanks under the back playground of the Toronto Baptist Church, near Newcastle in NSW.

They were able to achieve this feat with no disruption to the Church’s playgroups, crèche, boys’ and girls’ brigades and Sunday School. Miraculous.

Market update - hot water unitsSolar and heat pump units are becoming more and more popular, especially with government rebates and legislation that’s made energy efficient products mandatory in new homes. In fact, recent statistics show that sales of heat pump and solar units are growing at a significantly higher rate than other categories.

The increase in popularity has been driven by the very attractive government rebates and carbon emissions trading (RECs) in the replacement market and legislation banning the installation of some products in new homes.

Heat pump and solar hot water systems represent around 30% of the market now and it is predicted that they will be at least 60% of the entire hot water unit market within two years.

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Bushfire Building StandardsWork has begun rebuilding Victoria after the devastating bushfires. And on rebuilding the bushfire building standards.

The Victorian Government, in conjunction with the Building Industry Commission and Plumbing Industry Commission, has introduced new standards in areas where bushfire is a risk.

There are now six bushfire risk categories based on the Bushfire Attack Level (BAL). These range from low to very high based on the predicted bushfire attack and level of exposure of the property.

Less than 10% of all Victorian homes will fall within the highest risk levels. While there’ll be some increase in costs, the increase in safety makes it an investment we can’t ignore.

Check out more information on the standards at www.buildingcommission.com.au or call the Bushfire Building Advice Line on 1300 360 320.

ISH LISTInternational Sanitation & Heating/Air-Conditioning Exhibition

ISH is the International Sanitation & Heating/Air-Conditioning Exhibition, It is held every two years in Frankfurt, Germany and it’s the biggest plumbing industry fair in the world.

It’s huge - over 200,000 visitors over five days; 2,372 exhibitors from 58 different countries; 10 halls over 21 levels. The Who’s Who turn up including names like Rehau, Geberit, Graf, Rothenberger, Arco, Walraven, Hansgrohe, Alape and Ideal Standard.

In the bathroom space, the environmental message was championed under the banner of “Blue Responsibility” with a focus on water conservation. Sustainable bathrooms and products are now expected by consumers around the world – and that includes your customers. Manufacturers are responding by developing products that balance the needs of the environment and the desire for fashionable products that are enjoyable to use. We noticed considerable innovation in shower head technology designed to deliver a great showering experience while using less water.

In plumbing, concern for the environment went beyond just water usage. We did see a lot of innovation in water storage with Graf featuring as a major player. But there were also some interesting developments in sustainable

sanitary solutions and, particularly, efficient heating and air- conditioning systems using renewable energies.

The other significant development was the emergence of PSSU (a very modern plastic technology) where fittings on plastic hot and cold piping systems are also plastic (instead of brass), resulting in 100% plastic systems. We’ll watch this space closely.

The trend for environmental hot water units such as heat pump and solar is definitely a key focus around the world not just Australia. Many manufacturers are focusing their development in this area and no doubt this will shape the hot water market in the next few years.

With all the new and exciting trends, it was reassuring to see that plumbers all around the world are still plumbers. They love their tools and their cars.

Tool manufacturers like Rothenberger had a massive presence with lots of new and improved tools with many designed to work with the constantly evolving plastic piping systems.

We also saw the ultimate plumber’s ute – a van custom designed for the modern plumber – not only was it fitted with shelving, racks and pull out drawers for all products and tools, it even had an on-board prep and work area (for those rainy days), an area for refreshments, and of course, a GPS.

Autumn Bathroom Sale

The Reece Autumn Bathroom Sale started on 20 April 2009 and finishes on 1 June 2009. It’s a great opportunity to help your customers save. Let them know. If they’re thinking about updating their bathrooms, now’s the time to act. There are packages on offer to make renovating a bathroom simple, easy and affordable. Find out more at www.reece.com.au/sale

FOR EVERY $200 YOU SPEND ON ROTHENBERGER TOOLSYOU’RE AUTOMATICALLY IN THE DRAW TO WIN

$10,000 IN COLD HARD CASH.Find out more at www.reece.com.au/toolsale

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Outlet is a publication by Reece Pty Ltd (ACN 004 097 090) Copyright These materials are copyright. No part of them may be reproduced, adapted, translated or transmitted without the prior permission of the copyright owner, Reece Pty Ltd, except under any permitted circumstances set out in the Copyright Act 1968. Liability Reece makes no warranties with respect to any of the materials contained in this publication and Reece does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may arise from the use of, or reliance on, any information contained in this publication.

Outlet is printed on Monza Recycled which contains 55% recycled fibre (25% post consumer and 30% pre consumer) and 45% elemental chlorine free pulp. All virgin pulp is derived from well managed forests and it is manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill.

Main Price ChangesFor the full list of price changes or if you have any queries, please see your Reece Branch Manager or visit www.reece.com.au/outlet for further updates.

Supplier Products % Increase Date Effective

ZIP HEATERS Water Heaters Various 01 May 2009

EVERHARD Surface Drainage Various 01 May 2009

RINNAI Hot Water 10% 01 May 2009

PHILMAC Irrigation Products 4.5 – 6.5% 01 May 2009

BRITEX Stainless Steel Various 01 May 2009

BROWN BROTHERS Pumps Various 01 May 2009

TASMAN SINKWARE Sinkware Various 01 June 2009

In The Pipeline. Products for smarter plumbing.Plumbing is changing, and there’s a lot more to it than pipes, trenches and taps. In The Pipeline keeps you up-to-date on the wide range of products at Reece that can help you.

Expanding the networkThis month we’ve added a new Plumbing Centre in Warrnambool, VIC and a new hvac-r branch in Orange NSW. We’ve also relocated our St Kilda VIC Plumbing Centre.

For full details of each new branch please go to www.reece.com.au/storefinder

West Warrnambool VIC

Address: 21 Dickson St, West Warrnambool

Phone: (03) 5560 5311Fax: (03) 5560 5288Manager: Chris Bishop

St Kilda VIC (relocation)

Address: 40 Inkerman St, St KildaPhone: (03) 9525 3722Fax: (03) 9593 9530Manager: Brett Levi2IC: Dave Considine

hvac-r Orange NSW

Address: 40 Peisly St, OrangePhone: (02) 6360 0422Fax: (02) 6360 1966Manager: Brad Ashton

Metabo Cordless Drill/Drivers - LTX-ClassThe new Metabo LTX-Class cordless drills are here. The lightest and most compact in their class. And the toughest. High-performance Li-Power Extreme battery pack and the 4-pole compact motor give maximum strength. These are serious tools. As they say at Metabo: work, don’t play.

Auspex PipePlumbers wanted these products, so Auspex introduced them: 100m coils of black pipe, and green rainwater pipe in straight lengths and coils. Auspex PE-X is a cross linked polyethylene pipe that meets A.S.2492-1994 and comes in three colours, black for hot and cold potable water, green for rainwater and lilac for reclaimed water.

Rothenberger Roscope MultiviewLife’s a lot easier if you can see what’s going on in pipes, tubes, excavations, inside ceilings or under floors. The Rothenberger Roscope Multiview lets you know exactly what you’re dealing with before you dig.

Professional, modular, versatile •inspection tool Lets you inspect, photograph •and save It’s flexible, easy to handle and •easy to clean It comes with an SD-memory card •and you can connect it to your PC.

The Rothenberger Roscope Multiview. It’s worth taking a look.

The Dux great winter deal keeps you warm

Purchase an Airoheat from

any Reece store and receive a premium Dux jacket valued

at $149