DOE Furnace Rule Fight Exposes Gap Between Energy Policy and HVAC Field Reality
TL;DR: This article argues that the fight over the DOE furnace and water heater rule is really a fight over whether energy policy reflects how HVAC systems are installed in the real world. Higher-efficiency equipment has clear value, but mandates become problematic when they ignore retrofit constraints, labor shortages, consumer affordability, and regional infrastructure differences. The better path is…
Spotlight
Why the Shift to Service Is Making Diagnostics a Distributor Opportunity
As the HVAC/R industry shifts away from a replacement-driven model and toward service, maintenance, and repair, the implications extend well beyond the contractor. For distributors,…
Schneider Electric Delivers Green for HVAC Through UL ECOLOGO
ESG … sustainability. Many publicly-held companies believe in it and promote it. Some issue lengthy reports about their ESG initiatives. Rather than “just publish,” I…
TUG Connects: More Than an Infor Conference
Infor is one of the most prominent ERP systems serving the HVACR market. Last month their users group, TUG, which is independently run, held their…
How Vacuuming Can Deliver HVACR Distributor Sales
As the HVAC industry transitions toward A2L refrigerants and increasingly emphasizes installation quality, contractors are paying greater attention to evacuation procedures, moisture removal, and leak…
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TUG Connects: More Than an Infor Conference
Infor is one of the most prominent ERP systems serving the HVACR market. Last month their users group, TUG, which is independently run, held their annual event. If your company operates on the Infor platform, this is where your IT and sales operations group (as well as others depending upon the agenda) go to keep your company on the leading…
How Vacuuming Can Deliver HVACR Distributor Sales
As the HVAC industry transitions toward A2L refrigerants and increasingly emphasizes installation quality, contractors are paying greater attention to evacuation procedures, moisture removal, and leak detection. Noted industry trainer Don Gillis, in his inaugural article for HVACRTrends, shares technical insights on the need for vacuum testing. According to Don, the two primary causes of a failed vacuum decay test are…
Turn Your Customers’ CRM into Revenue for You
In the age of digital, distributors are seeking ways to get closer to their customers. Consider, if you have an electronic connection, and ideally an integration, with your customer, the relationship is deeper and you are building a moat around the customer. Your competition will still win some business (selected lines, locale, credit, perhaps price) but you win the dominant…
Is CRM for Rep Agencies Still Optional?
CRM for rep agencies is a topic that has frustrated leadership teams for years, and the conversation rarely lands cleanly. Chris Atwell brings sharp, practical thinking to it, and the timing is good. I have been working on a research project focused specifically on how reps are using these tools today and what they actually want and need from them. Chris’s…
Ferguson HVAC Strategy and the Q1 2026 Channel Read
Ferguson Enterprises released Q1 2026 results this week, and the read for the HVACR channel is more interesting than the headline beat suggests. The Ferguson HVAC strategy is performing in a mixed environment. Residential demand is weak. Nonresidential is strong. Data centers continue to drive specialty growth. Pricing is firming up faster than the company’s own guidance suggested. For independent…
Lennox Q1 2026 Earnings Signal Shifts Across the HVAC Channel
The investor takeaways from the Lennox Q1 2026 earnings report are one story. The channel takeaways are another, and they are the ones that matter for distributors, reps, and contractors trying to read where the market is heading next. The Lennox Q1 2026 earnings report landed this week, beating what has shaped up to be a messy quarter, with EPS…
HVAC Market Stabilization: Watsco’s Q1 Signals
Watsco’s first-quarter 2026 results point to early HVAC market stabilization after two years of post-spike turbulence, even as unit volumes remain soft and macro pressures keep the recovery uneven. The largest HVAC distributor in North America reported flat revenue at $1.53 billion, with a 2% gain in the US offset by an 11% decline internationally. Gross margin held at 27.9%, operating…
AI in Distribution: A Reality Check Before You Commit the Budget
The conversation around AI in distribution has moved past the pilot stage. Budgets are being committed, vendors are promising transformation, and the stakes on getting it right are higher than ever. Justin Johnson, founder and CEO of Motivate, offers a practical reality check for distributors weighing where AI actually moves the needle and where it just creates motion without results.…
