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Supply chain woes are heating up in the HVAC sector. Heating and cooling servicers say they are facing a record number of backlogged orders. Parts and equipment delays are continuing through these companies’ busiest time of the year. Repair companies are struggling to fix and replace furnaces, boilers, and other heating and cooling equipment in both the residential and commercial sectors, The Wall Street Journal reports.
HVAC equipment is the latest category to join a growing list of shortages. Builders have reported major material bottlenecks that are slowing their ability to add more new-home inventory, with other shortages in materials such as windows, garage doors, and paint. Last month, the National Association of Home Builders reported that material costs have risen 21% compared to a year ago.
As for furnace parts, company executives say there has been an increase in demand for buildings’ climate control technology since workers shifted to remote work, intensified by higher incidences of extreme weather. Demand for HVAC equipment has outpaced supply among the largest manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Meanwhile, companies are reporting order backlogs that are hitting record levels at times. “It’s very, very disruptive,” Dave Regnery, Trane’s CEO, told The Wall Street Journal. “This is a plant manager’s kind of nightmare.”