HVACR Trends

Information to Inspire, Grow and Profit

AI Is Confident. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Right.

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most transformative technologies of our time. It can write reports, summarize meetings, analyze spreadsheets, generate code, answer questions, and even help us brainstorm creative ideas. Used well, AI can save hours of work and dramatically improve productivity. But as AI becomes more capable, it also introduces a subtle and potentially dangerous problem:…

Spotlight

Explore

What Matters to HVAC Contractors and What Makes Them Loyal

I recently wrote this article for a sister publication of HVACRTrends, ElectricalTrends (and did you also know we publish Industrial Supply Trends and US Lighting Trends?) I’m sharing it because it is about contractors. And the reality is that contractor behavior across construction trades is very similar. The big difference for the HVAC industry, and it is similar in plumbing,…

The $339,000 HVAC Financing Problem Sitting in Every Contractor Proposal

75% of homeowners know contractor financing exists. Only 1 in 3 has ever used it. That gap is entirely yours to close. MIT Taught Me the Lesson First I recently enrolled in the MIT No Code and Agentic AI program. The cost: $2,850. MIT gave me three payment options: Option 1: Pay in full. $2,850. Done. Option 2: Three payments.…

Today’s HVAC/R Contractor Scorecard

Twenty years ago, a contractor’s scorecard looked something like this: Equipment Brand Price Relationship Today, it looks very different: Availability Pricing Delivery Service and Support Ease of Doing Business Equipment Brand The HVAC/R industry has changed. The question is whether manufacturers and wholesalers have changed with it. For decades, the HVAC/R industry operated under a relatively simple assumption: contractors chose…

Did an Elephant Show Up at the Applied AI Conference?

Mark McGready, Director Data Analytics and Solutions for IDEA, attended the 2026 Applied AI for Distributors Conference organized by Distribution Strategy Group. While he spoke to attendees about IDEA’s Data Whispers solution and how Nudge (its avatar) helps drive sales, profits and acts as a virtual sales coach and information resource tailored to each distributor’s offering and is based upon…

Refrigeration Technologies’ Viper EZDose

By now you should have heard that Refrigeration Technologies, the Southern California-based manufacturer behind the Viper® line of non-toxic HVACR chemical solutions, recently introduced the Viper EZDose™, a gravity-fed pan and drain line maintenance system designed to help HVAC contractors prevent condensate drain clogs before they become water damage, odor complaints and costly callbacks. Another New Product! What Does it…

Blue Hawk Brings Construct CRM to its Members

Integrating with your customers provides an opportunity to add value to them and help solidify your role as their preferred distributor. The key is recognizing the reality … that they also need to buy from your competitors (credit, availability, brands, location, price, etc) and enabling this (remember the phrase, “pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered!”) Recently I wrote about a…

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 a…