December’s most popular stories

With a fresh 12 months in front of us, here’s a look at our five most-read stories from December:

Carrier, Lennox CEOs on this year’s dynamics, looking ahead. “[HVAC is] pretty much a 15-year replacement business. When you go back to 2010, you started to see a certain recovery. So if you fast-forward to 2025, that recovery in shipments would start to manifest itself in replacements starting in 2025.” (Full story)

7 takeaways: ‘Contractor of the Future’ report. “A recent survey of over 1,000 HVAC contractors nationwide has revealed a range of business patterns… Respondents ranged from small, single-truck operations to businesses with 20+ trucks, and reported generating an average of 69 percent of revenue from residential work.” (Full story)

HVAC shipments crater 49% in October, a record drop. “U.S. combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps during the month fell 49.4 percent year-over-year, according to AHRI data… October marks the sharpest single-month year-over-year drop since 2010, the furthest available data, topping September’s 42 percent decline.” (Full story)

Some contractors embed AI, others ‘wait and see’: ServiceTitan report. “Contractors ‘expect the technology to impact their businesses soon — but aren’t yet sure how that monumental change will play out for them,’ the report notes. Asked about their relationship with the technology so far, just 12 percent of respondents said they’ve embedded it in their processes.” (Full story)

Heat pump startup raises $20 million to expand across U.S. “Quilt is currently available in 16 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces, and will surpass 1,000 installed units by the end of this year… The company works with over 60 contractors who sell, install, and maintain its systems, and this year has seen a 409 percent increase in inbound contractor leads.” (Full story)