2021 HVAC Contractor Trends Show Industry is Cautiously Optimistic
2020 has been a year of change and challenge to say the least. COVID-19 caused shifts of resources, breaks in supply chains, inconsistency in cash flow, and the added requirements caused by new health and safety protocols like social distancing. Trends unfolded throughout the year that point to something greater in 2021.
Aeroseal spoke with our dealer development team and some members of our nationwide dealer network to learn how 2020 may impact the coming year.
Comfort Is King
Even before COVID-19, people were spending 90 percent of their time indoors. 2020 increased that statistic with stay-at-home orders in effect.
According to Tracy Martin, Aeroseal’s Director of Dealer Development, this has made comfort the top concern among homeowners in 2020 and 2021. “Our dealers really rose to the challenge when it comes to adapting to the impact of COVID-19,” said Martin. “It was a common obstacle, but dealers found a way around it and finished the year strong.”
Tapping into Technology & Down Time
For example, virtual-home appointments and inspections. Many dealers turned to virtual meeting technology like Zoom to set up virtual appointments. This had homeowners crawling into attic spaces, making them more engaged and involved in the experience
Zoom has also been an efficient platform for training and collaboration for HVAC contractors. Some businesses took advantage of the smaller workload this year, investing time into projects that keep their teams busy and will pay off in 2021. William’s Comfort Air increased their community involvement. Technicians delivered groceries to homeowners in their service area. And this investment is already paying off in customer loyalty.
New Home Construction, Home Improvement Projects Increasing
With historically low interest rates, residential new construction and home improvement projects increased in 2020. And our dealers see this bump in work continuing into the new year.
“Residential new construction did not skip a beat,” said Dan Rollie, Aeroseal of Rochester, Minnesota. With people spending more time at home for work, school and in general, homeowners had money in their pockets to increase comfort in their home or even find a new, more comfortable home.”
“Residential new construction did not miss a beat in 2020”
– Dan Rollie
This trend was seen as far south as Florida.
“We were busier than ever,” said Gregory Frazier of Art Plumbing & AC in Coral Springs, Florida. “It was a very good AC season and IAQ has been a huge topic of interest with homeowners. We were blessed to have weathered the pandemic this year.”
“IAQ has been a huge topic of interest with homeowners.”
– Greg Frazier, Art Plumbing & AC
Increased homeowner interest in cleaner, healthier air is one clear trend from 2020 that HVAC contractors will continue to benefit from in 2021.
“Homeowners are definitely more aware of the need for cleaner, healthier indoor air due to the pandemic,” said Corey Dean of Odin Energy in Goodyear, Arizona. “Having services like duct sealing available to address this awareness has made a big impact on our business.”
“Homeowners are definitely more aware of the need for cleaner, healthier indoor air due to the pandemic.”
– Corey Dean, Odin Energy, Goodyear, Arizona
Whether 2020 found HVAC contractors adjusting to the new normal and handling an influx of business, they all tended to make investments in their business that will continue to yield returns in 2021. While the outlook is optimistic overall, they are more prepared for what may come in 2021.
More 2021 Trends
For more HVAC contractor trends, check out the following articles.
“Industry Leaders Make Predictions for HVAC Contracting in 2021” — The ACHR News
