HVAC distributor sales rose slightly in December — with a caveat

HARDI on Thursday released data showing that sales by its distributor members grew 2.4 percent year-over-year in December 2025 — but it came with a caveat. 

What’s happening: “It was nice to see 2.4% sales growth during December against a challenging prior year, but that growth was helped by one more billing day than last year,” said HARDI analyst Brian Loftus. “We estimate for the month sales would have declined by 2.3% with the same number of billing days.”

• The trend is consistent with “depressed existing home sales [and] weak consumer confidence,” he added. 

Of note: HARDI distributors’ annual sales growth — comparing the 12 months through December 2025 with the 12 months through December 2024 — was 2.8 percent, per the release. 

What we’re watching: “Hopefully inflationary pressure can ease this year and we can see some benefits from the six rate cuts,” Loftus said.