HVACR Trends

Information to Inspire, Grow and Profit

Home Depot’s HVAC/R Strategy Is Getting Bigger

A few months ago, I wrote about Home Depot’s acquisition of Mingledorff’s and what it could mean for the future of HVAC/R distribution. Now we have another piece of the puzzle. This week, SRS Distribution announced its agreement to acquire Lohmiller & Co., a Denver-based HVAC/R distributor with four Colorado locations and approximately 220 employees. SRS, of course, is the…

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Carrier and Trane Q2 Results: Data Centers Drive Record Backlogs Amid Rising Input Costs

Two of the leading HVAC manufacturers announced earnings within days of each other that were similar in both results and outlook with strong commercial propelled by data centers but facing cost pressures. Let’s take a look in more detail…. Carrier Global Carrier Global, the Florida headquartered multinational HVACR, fire and security equipment manufacturer, announced earnings for the 2Q 2026 on…

How Agentic AI Could Change How HVACR Contractors Buy Material

Amidst the conversation about AI and data centers, both of which distributors can benefit from, there is another conversation that, as typical, starts on the consumer side and then migrates to B2B. This is how AI is / may change business models Inevitably it does not occur as quickly as the Big 4 consulting pundits project, but it does seep…

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…