HVAC Commercial Market

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Executive Order EO13706 would require federal prime contractors and subcontractors to permit workers employed on covered federal contracts and subcontracts of $2,000 or more to accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 25.

HVAC industry professionals converged March 10-13 in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the return of the ACCA 2016 conference and IE3 Expo: The Indoor Environment & Energy Expo. The combined events drew more than 1,500 people from all over the country.

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.