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HVAC contractors seem to be feeling cautiously optimistic about short-term growth, at least according to ACCA, whose Contractor Comfort Index (CCI) scored a 76 in January 2016. But, there is still concern about the U.S. economy and conditions around the world, in general.

The latest report from HARDI shows that average sales for HARDI distributor members increased by 8.2 percent in December 2015, but annualized growth for all of 2015 registered a bit lower at 5.7 percent. This compares to the 6.1 percent gain in 2014, the second consecutive year of slower growth since a 7.3 percent increase was reported in 2013.

Sales of HVAC equipment were somewhat flat in 2015, according to AHRI, which reported year-to-date combined U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps decreased by 0.6 percent, and shipments of gas warm air furnaces increased 2.9 percent. 

Have you impressed upon your technicians the need to routinely service mod-con boiler systems? Have you reviewed the maintenance records for systems installed by your firm? Are there any holes in the records? Are you and your customers at risk? It never hurts to check.

Bruce Fraser, owner of Fraser Construction LLC in Avon, Colorado, recently discovered you can have a suitably sized kitchen exhaust system and meet the IRC M1503.4 makeup air requirement without breaking the bank.

The right way to think about advertising, marketing, and the ABT mindset is sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. The lessons, while often costly and painful, become the wisdom that will help elevate the HVAC company above the small-minded folks who can’t discipline themselves to operate this way.

ACCA has arranged for some of the best contractors in the country to share their top-secret techniques for business success at ACCA 2016. This year’s program features 35 classes in seven different tracks, including building performance, business operations, commercial contracting, innovation and leadership, radiant and hydronics, residential contracting, and quality assurance.

While ACCA and its members had a successful year, there were a number of challenges the industry faced as a whole. Some of the biggest were keeping up with the regulatory proposals and bills in Congress.