HVAC distributor sales rise 4.6% in February

HARDI on Wednesday released its monthly Trends report, showing that sales by its distributor members rose 4.6 percent year-over-year in February. 

• That’s a “welcome sight after low single-digit sales declines during December and January,” Brian Loftus, the group’s residential market analyst, said in a statement. 

Yes, and: HARDI distributors’ annualized sales — comparing the 12 months through February 2026 with the 12 months through February 2025 — were up 2.4 percent. 

What they’re saying: January and February “have not been good indicators of the year ahead because they are low-volume, seasonally insignificant months of the year,” Loftus noted. 

• “Distributors had to accumulate extra inventory to accommodate the A2L transition,” he added. “It is tough to work off inventory in these low-volume months, but baseball season has started, so cooling season is almost here. The warmer temps will help trim the remaining excess inventory.”

Of note: Days Sales Outstanding, a measure of how quickly contractors pay their bills, was near 38 days for the month — same as last February, per the release.  

• “The modest annual sales growth [2.4 percent] may be a concern, but customers paying their bills without delay indicate the market challenges are contained,” Loftus said.