Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) members raised $134,550 in 2021 for Homes for Our Troops, the association’s philanthropic partner. In addition to the cash donations raised in 2021, HARDI members committed to donating the HVACR equipment to 19 specially adapted homes for injured military veterans across the country.

In 1992, I self-published a thick book I called, "The Lost Art of Steam Heating." I did this because I could not get a publisher interested in something that few, if any, contractors had installed since the 1930s. I thought it would do well in New York City, where there are still plenty of steam-heated buildings, but to my delight, we sold tens of thousands of copies everywhere, and even in Hawaii. Go figure.

Rapid Locking System (RLS) is a patented press-to-connect fitting specifically developed for the high-pressure application of the HVAC and refrigeration industries. 

In a recent survey, Emerson asked HVAC contractors and wholesalers about their knowledge of and preparation for increasing federal minimum SEER/IEER efficiency requirements mandated for AC systems and heat pumps by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in January 2023. The survey found that a majority (about 87%) of HVAC professionals are familiar with the regulation changes in 2023 regarding the minimum SEER/IEER central air conditioning and rooftop unit efficiency standards. However, nearly half of respondents (44%) said they have yet to make plans to take action in response to these upcoming regulations.

Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) announced the hiring of Zachary Perge as the organization’s first vice president of distribution strategies. Perge comes to HARDI from Deloitte Consulting where he was senior consultant, consumer M&A division. Perge was the integration lead for a $38 billion merger of two semiconductor companies, developed a $30-$50 million cost reduction program for a Fortune 500 consumer company, and generated more than $46 million in new projects for Deloitte during his time there.

The annual competition among Heating Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) members recovered 239 pounds of mercury from 70 member companies, increasing more than 16 pounds from last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, more than 380 branch locations returned collection bins during the contest period, from May 1 to October 31.

HARDI board of directors approved the restriction of up to $500,000 of HARDI’s reserve funds to establish a new “Legal Defense Fund” in case litigation is necessary to overturn policies that can have a negative impact on HVACR wholesale-distribution. 

Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) released its monthly TRENDS report, showing the average sales performance by HARDI distributors was an increase of 21 percent during September. The average annual sales growth for the 12 months through September is 19.6%.

Friedrich is an industry leader in high-end air conditioning solutions and will be a standalone business unit within the Rheem Global Air business.