ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announced that its March Contractor Comfort Index (CCI) shows that contractors continue to be optimistic in their outlook for short-term growth. For March 2011, the CCI is 62. This is an increase over the February 2011 CCI of 60. The results also show that contractors are feeling more confident than they were in March 2010 when the CCI was 60.

ACCA began measuring contractor attitudes toward short-term economic growth with the CCI in February 2010.

The CCI is calculated based on a survey of the association's contractor members, who are asked how positive they feel about new business prospects, existing business activity, and expected staffing decisions in the short-term future. Weighted and averaged into one number, a CCI of 50 or above reflects anticipated growth.

The CCI is released prior to the start of each month; the next index number will be released during the last week of April.

For more information, visit www.acca.org.

Publication date:04/04/2011