For the first part of the year, many distributors had 10 and 12 SEER product to sell, and sales were strong. As they ran out of the sub-13 SEER product, many began to see sales of replacement systems drop. Some of the dealers I surveyed told me that their service departments have had the best year ever, as many customers are opting to repair rather than replace.
Another reality facing many this year is that we did not have a hot, sweltering summer; in addition, the winter was mild in a lot of places. Couple this with the fact we have a hit or miss economy, a war that feels like it will never end, and business that is changing faster than our pensions can keep up, and it all adds up to the perfect storm.