If ASHRAE Journal’s 2019 Attendee Survey on HVAC&R Industry Trends accurately predicts how 2019 will turn out, the industry is in good hands.

A total of 87.9% of those who responded to the survey rated their business prospects as “good” and “excellent” for 2019. Of that percentage, 28.2% said their business prospects were “excellent.”

In the 2018 survey, 32.8% of respondents predicted “excellent” business prospects, and 57.9% predicted “good” business years for 2018.

Comparing this year’s business prospects with last year’s, 43.1% of respondents said they expect business to increase by 5 to 10%, while 23.5% said they expect business to increase by more than 10% this year.

While this year’s attendees are optimistic about the upcoming year, attendees were more enthusiastic before the 2018 Show in Chicago.

More respondents of the 2018 survey—46.6%—predicted their business to increase by 5 to 10%, and more respondents, 27.3%, predicted their business to increase by more than 10% in 2018.

Also unlike last year, most  2019 respondents—37.1%—said they expect their business prospects to more than likely stem from maintenance and replacement this year, as opposed to new construction, which was the top the prospect from the 2018 survey.

For 2019, the top three market segments attendees predicted to have the best prospects were light commercial, office and hospitals/health care, in descending order. In 2018, attendees said light commercial, residential and then office buildings were the top business prospects.

Before the Show opened, more attendees were interested in seeing cooling, heating and indoor air quality products at the Expo than other product categories such as software and ventilation products.

Regarding products, attendees said the following characteristics are the most important to the customer—in descending in order—reliability, first costs and comfort.

The 2019 survey also asked what is the most important trend or issue in the HVACR industry. The following are the some of the responses:

• Increased efficiencies
• Go green
• The lack of energy and environmental enforcements by the Trump administration are hurting our ability to compete with non-compliant DOE/EPA, very low cost competitors. As a US manufacturer, we are being dealt a serious "death blow" by the Trump Administration and the Republican Congress.
• Energy
• Lack of qualified technicians
• Energy efficiency
• Qualified workers
• Cost and energy efficient
• Energy Efficiency
• Greater use of zoning with ductless style systems
• Ament in technology
• Client comfort
• Technology
• Tools
• BIM
• Switch to new refrigerants
• Los datos de calculo que esta muy sobrados
• Climate friendly refrigerants and measures to prevent leaking of refrigerants in general
• New gas
• Energy costs and comfort
• Move away from air-cooled products toward cooling towers, as power consumption is becoming a real focus on new systems
• Energy efficiency
• Energy efficiency
• Shift to new refrigerants
• Refrigerants
• Compact and Kit
• First of all All facilities available in the industries. And management is working good.
• Price
• Zooming into the Generation next
• Training and educating people for repairing and installing high tech equipment
• VRF Systems
• Carbon footprint reduction initiatives
• New technology
• Energy efficiency
• New refrigerants
• Energy code, refrigerants
• Reduction to low-GWP refrigerants
• The implementation of new training for advanced technologies including VRF and other specific programs
• Ease of installation, compression of technologies
• Continuing innovations in products
• PM services! Some clients disagree on these services but when there equipment goes down and ask why you have to say because you didn’t have a PM service and if you did we wouldn’t be having this conversation! Some get it and some don’t!
• Indoor Air Quality
• For controls, increasing digital circuits and IOT integration
• Energy goals
• Refrigerant type, charge, GWP, and legislation as it affects these things
• The biggest issue I see is residential units not even making it 5-10 years without a major repair. (Leaking coils, ECM motors) extremely high cost of ECM motors- often times a replacement motor costs more than a brand new air handler. Any money saved on a higher efficiency units is lost on repairs, especially if it’s out of warranty.
• Promoting Green & Sustainable product
• Understanding reality vs Hype
• Latest products
• IOT and connectivity smart devices
• Efficiency & Pricing
• IoT
• EPA refrigerant regulations and DOE efficiency regulation
• Energy efficiency
• MADE IN AMERICA
• Threat of VRF displacing all other HVAC system types
• Energy Savings
• Technology training and education of consumers. Sustainability and efficiency with milder climates. Better aftermarket support in consolidating industries.
• We need more green innovation! Self-sustenance.
• Controls
• Price reductions in ductless systems
• Qualified Help
• Require Durable Elbow Support aka (FlexRight) to all flex duct installations
• Air quality
• HVAC Contractors lack of technical knowledge on replacement compressors proper installations.
• Regulations and the size of the equipment
• Analytics and better access to data
• Automation and Building Controls; Energy Measuring and Efficiency/Savings
• Change in regulations regarding refrigerants
• New products and technologies
• Ductless HVAC
• Controls/Building Automation and Integration
• IAQ, regulations regarding environment
• Efficient units
• Modular plant rooms
• Data Analytics
• Better materials and production or equipment.
• Contractor who do not understand overhead and profit margins
• Healthy Indoor Air Quality
• Increase demand for energy efficient smart systems that are reliable and cost effective.
• Refrigerant & BAS
• The use of UL 1738 certified vents instead of ASTM certified plumbing products for venting gas fired appliances.
• Lack of techs. New refrigerants
• Utilizing renewable energy
• IAQ as it relates to productivity
• Systems automation
• Economized, other means of generating power or low energy saving HVAC&R equipment is becoming more trending in the HVAC industry.
• Compliance with lawfully mandatory issues as main driver
• Energy efficiency
• Continued penetration of mini-split VRV/VRF technology
• Reliability, sustainability, energy efficiency, connectivity
• Indoor air quality and adaptation to solar
• Solar Technologies
• What does "smart building" really mean and will it deliver the claimed benefits?
• Globalization and decline in US leadership
• Workers
• Improving equipment efficiencies and reliabilities
• Better life cycle cost
• Continuing to prove ROI through interactive channels
• Technology
• Labor shortage
• Introduction of new energy codes in the jurisdiction where I work.
• Government Tariffs are hurting business prospects.
• Environmental regulations