June’s most popular stories

Well, that was fast. With June wrapping up the first half of the year, here’s a look at our five most-read stories of the closing month:

HVAC industry enters era of ‘accelerated change’: Report. “While lower than a separate report published in March, financial data company PitchBook valued the U.S. HVAC market at $89 billion as of 2024, based on data from Global Market Insights, with the figure projected to hit $130 billion by 2030.” (Full story)

Ferguson leans into HVAC with bet on dual-trade contractors. “The company has been expanding its HVAC capabilities to leverage the ‘growing trend’ of dual-trade contractors, it notes… Ferguson holds an 18 percent share of the North American plumbing market but just five percent of HVAC, according to a presentation.” (Full story)

Behind Service Experts’ equipment leasing approach. “We launched it in 2017 with just HVAC, but recognized there was a lot of customer interest in other products, like whole-home filtration systems and water heaters… So we’ve seen that it actually makes customers stickier because they’re interested in bundling, which helps us expand our share of wallet.” (Full story)

HVAC tech awarded $75 million in lawsuit. “In 2020, 37-year-old Brian Mierendorf was servicing a refrigeration system at a Kroger north of Detroit, when a malfunction ultimately caused R-22 to explode into his hands… Attorneys argued during the trial that Kroger ‘failed to properly maintain the refrigeration system and did not provide required documentation of maintenance, repairs, or inspections.’” (Full story)

‘Make America Skilled Again’: Trump administration bets on apprenticeships. “‘Decades of failed political leadership have left America with a one-size-fits-all approach to workforce preparedness,’ the White House wrote. ‘It is the policy of the United States to optimize and target Federal investments in workforce development… to fill the growing demand for skilled trades,’ it added.” (Full story)