ePIPE – Pipe Restoration Inc., a recognized leader in innovative piping rehabilitation technologies, showcased its patented ePIPE epoxy barrier coating system at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2025 Innovative Housing Showcase, held in September on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The annual event brought together public agencies, private-sector innovators, policymakers, and housing professionals to highlight cutting-edge ideas that support accessible, resilient, and forward-looking housing. This year’s theme, “The American Home is the American Dream,” underscored both the historical significance of housing in the United States and the industry’s rapid movement toward modernization.
The Showcase featured full-scale home model demonstrations, emerging construction technologies, and building-system solutions aimed at addressing today’s pressing housing challenges—from the affordability crisis to climate resilience and long-term infrastructure durability. Against this backdrop, ePIPE presented its breakthrough in-place pipe restoration method, drawing strong interest from attendees seeking cost-effective and minimally disruptive solutions for aging water infrastructure.
Engagement With HUD Leadership
One of the key moments for ePIPE during the Showcase was a meeting with John Gibbs, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). A central figure in federal housing innovation, Gibbs oversees PD&R’s research portfolio, interagency policy coordination, and technology evaluation programs. His office plays a vital role in analyzing housing trends, supporting pilot programs, and ensuring that emerging construction and rehabilitation technologies are grounded in rigorous, evidence-based research.
Under Gibbs’s leadership, PD&R has sharpened its focus on exploring tools that can help accelerate innovation within the housing sector. Recent years have seen PD&R expand its interest in building technologies that enhance affordability, reduce carbon impacts, improve long-term building performance, and minimize displacement during rehabilitation. This includes greater support for modernization strategies that can be rapidly deployed while ensuring safety, code compliance, and durability.
During discussions with ePIPE representatives, Gibbs expressed interest in scalable rehabilitation solutions that could be adopted across older housing stock, particularly in public and affordable housing environments where aging infrastructure creates both financial burdens and health risks. The meeting represented an opportunity for ePIPE to highlight how its patented epoxy barrier coating system fits into HUD’s broader goals of preserving existing housing stock and reducing maintenance-driven displacement.
The Need for Scalable Rehabilitation Technologies
Across the United States, millions of homes and multifamily properties are grappling with deteriorating water distribution and drainage systems. Traditional pipe replacement can be expensive, invasive, and time-consuming—often requiring demolition of walls, flooring, and ceilings. For property managers, public housing authorities, and residents, these disruptions can pose substantial challenges, including relocation, extended downtime, and unexpected costs.
This growing national need for infrastructure renewal is one reason the 2025 Innovative Housing Showcase emphasized technology-driven approaches to maintenance and rehabilitation. ePIPE’s participation gave policymakers and housing professionals an opportunity to see how in-place pipe restoration can significantly reduce the complexity of repairs while improving water quality and system reliability.
How the ePIPE System Works
The ePIPE system is designed to restore failing potable water pipes “in place”—meaning pipes do not need to be removed, replaced, or exposed through demolition. Instead, the system uses an advanced epoxy barrier coating that is applied internally after the pipe has been dried and cleaned. This coating:
- Mitigates pinhole leaks
- Addresses internal corrosion
- Reduces the release of lead (Pb) and other metals into drinking water
- Improves flow performance
- Extends the service life of existing plumbing
The technology is approved for use in potable water systems and has been widely adopted in residential, commercial, and municipal environments. Because the process is significantly less disruptive than traditional repiping, it enables property owners to rehabilitate systems while keeping units occupied.
In addition to potable water systems, ePIPE offers eDRAIN, a complementary service for sewer and drainage line restoration. This broadens the company’s ability to support full-building infrastructure needs and positions it as a comprehensive partner for housing rehabilitation projects.
Proven Success in Large-Scale Housing Communities
The Showcase also provided a platform for ePIPE to highlight its successful track record with major housing organizations. Two of the most notable examples include:
- Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA):
As California’s largest public housing agency, LACDA sought a cost-effective alternative to full repiping for a large number of aging units. The authority selected ePIPE to restore potable water systems across thousands of homes. The in-place rehabilitation approach reduced restoration time, minimized disruption to residents, and saved millions of dollars compared with traditional replacement. - Laguna Woods Village:
One of the nation’s largest retirement communities, Laguna Woods Village faced ongoing challenges related to aging plumbing infrastructure. ePIPE was chosen to implement its epoxy barrier coating system across multiple phases of the community’s housing. The solution preserved infrastructure, prevented leaks, and protected water quality—all with minimal disturbances to elderly residents who rely heavily on stability and continuity in their living environments.
These case studies exemplify how scalable, minimally invasive rehabilitation technologies can support both public agencies and private property managers seeking long-term solutions to infrastructure deterioration.
Advancing Innovation and Housing Resilience
As HUD, policymakers, and the housing industry explore solutions for the future, technologies like ePIPE play an increasingly important role. Aging infrastructure represents a substantial portion of national housing costs, and innovative approaches to rehabilitation can help reduce financial burden while preserving existing housing stock—a key strategy in addressing the nationwide housing shortage.
ePIPE’s participation in the 2025 Innovative Housing Showcase, coupled with its engagement with PD&R leadership, underscores the company’s alignment with federal priorities: affordable, resilient, evidence-driven, and future-ready housing solutions. Through its advanced in-place pipe restoration systems, ePIPE continues to contribute meaningfully to the broader effort to modernize American housing infrastructure and protect one of the nation’s most essential resources—clean, reliable drinking water.
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