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Economy

America’s most air-conditioned states

The U.S. Census Bureau in late May launched the 2023 Local Air Conditioning Estimates (LACE) to better understand where households across the country have A/C

HVAC distributor sales ticked up 4.5% in April

Meanwhile, HARDI distributors’ annualized sales — comparing the 12 months through April 2026 with the 12 months through April 2025 — were up 2.8 percent

HVAC enrollment at two-year colleges jumped 17% this spring

The enrollment surge reflects the growing interest in skilled trade jobs across the U.S., particularly among Gen Zers

Consumer reluctance to buy large household items ticked up in April

U.S. consumers in April remained sour on buying large household durables — an indicator of HVAC purchasing intent — according to new data

Legal

U.S., Mexico wrap first set of talks over trade deal shielding HVAC products from tariffs

“The United States continues to emphasize the importance of ensuring the Agreement benefits U.S. businesses of all sizes,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Rep. wrote in a statement

Federal apprenticeship bill teases tax credit to offset training costs

The Workforce Apprenticeship Growth and Education Support Act would help roofing contractors offset the cost of training apprentices and formalize on-the-job training programs

DOE unfreezes Home Energy Rebates, nixes gas-to-electric upgrades

The Department of Energy on Monday released guidance on two federal HVAC-focused rebate programs, including a series of changes

Feds seize 93 sinks over unauthorized certification marks

“Unscrupulous vendors victimize consumers by selling inferior products, like these sinks with unauthorized UPC Shield marks,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Keri Brady

M&A

May’s most popular stories

Some big-money action, an EPA rule change, and ChatGPT's local business ads

Apex Service Partners to receive minority investment at $10 billion valuation

Founded in 2019 with backing from California-based Alpine Investors, Apex is the largest private equity-backed residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical platform in the U.S.

USA Hometown Experts exploring sale, reports say

While the reported process is in the early stages, it follows a string of private equity-backed platform activity this year

Redwood Services buys five-contractor group for $220 million

The deal marks just the second platform-buys-platform transaction among today’s residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical platforms

Management

Meet the Contractor: Brandon Anderson, Morris-Jenkins

"Our former owner, Mr. Jenkins, built the company around taking care of people"

Google channels diverged on paying customers, average ticket in Q1: Analysis

Google’s primary lead generation channels, from Business Profiles to Local Services Ads, in the first quarter of this year told different stories, according to one analysis