March’s most popular stories

You really put your eyeballs to work in March! Here are our five most-read stories: 

Major HVAC manufacturers accused of price-fixing conspiracy in lawsuit. “‘These Defendants are alleged to have driven HVAC equipment prices to historic levels through a series of frequent and repeated secret meetings, information sharing, communications, and public signaling,’ a law firm involved in the case writes.” (Full story) 

House passes bills targeting HVAC rebates, efficiency standards. “The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act… would repeal the HEAR program, one of two consumer-facing rebate programs established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides low-to-moderate income households with up to $14,000 for installing qualifying equipment, including heat pumps.” (Full story) 

JPMorgan’s HVAC ace on unit volumes, pricing dynamics, and the road ahead. “I don’t really see the consumer getting that much better. I don’t see rates moving that much here, and so affordability is still an issue. My macro lens says it’s going to be tough for that to change much.” (Full story) 

Roto-Rooter residential revenue dips; CEO points to Google, private equity. “The ‘introduction of private equity money and practices into our sector had an immediate effect on us,’ [CEO Kevin McNamara] said. ‘The biggest impact, aside from just existing and offering services at below cost on the plumbing side, [is that] they have disrupted the paid search model.’” (Full story)

Mingledorff’s to be acquired by Home Depot’s SRS Distribution. “Mingledorff’s brings an ‘extensive product portfolio, robust distribution network and established customer relationships that are highly complementary to SRS’s existing business,’ the announcement states, adding that HVAC distribution represents a total addressable market of roughly $100 billion.” (Full story)