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HVAC Signal · The HVAC briefing professionals can read in five minutes. · October 26, 2026
🏠 Residential & Contractor Business
Homeowner survey: 48% say they're more likely to hire an HVAC company that also does electrical (3 minute read)
In a spring survey of nearly 800 homeowners by myCLEARopinion, ACHR's sister research firm, 48% said added electrical service would make them more likely to hire an HVAC contractor, and 8% said less likely. For plumbing, 44% said more likely. Owners who added trades told ACHR (Oct. 20) to hire a leader who knows the new trade, price it right from day one, and market it to existing customers first.
November price letters hit the duct and sheet-metal aisle, mostly at 8% to 10% on Nov. 1 (2 minute read)
Distributor-posted letters compiled by PriceLetter show Nov. 1 increases from Ductmate (9% on steel items), CL Ward (9% on steel), Duro Dyne (4–15%), Mitchell Metal (8–10%), Sealtite (10%), and Airflow, Greenseam, Southwark and ZM Sheet Metal (8% each). Resideo's Honeywell Home zoning products also adjust at month-end. Ductmate has another 5–10% on gaskets and sealants posted for Jan. 1. Re-check duct and fitting lines in replacement quotes.
Midea's dual-fuel pitch: know local power and gas rates, then slow down the no-heat replacement call (4 minute read)
In an Oct. 19 Contracting Business Q&A, Midea's David Rames argues dual fuel is a long-term, profitable option for homes that already have gas, not just a step toward full electrification. His advice: know local electricity and natural gas prices before you sell it, because the switchover economics vary by market. He also says to treat emergency replacement calls as a chance to lay out options, financing and operating costs.
🧰 Products & Field Technology
Navien's NCB700 combi-boiler: 96% AFUE, built-in zone control, and two inches shorter (2 minute read)
Navien (Oct. 19) launched the NCB700, its fourth-generation condensing combi-boiler, in five models up to 150,000 BTU/h space-heating and 210,000 BTU/h hot-water input, with 5.4 gpm at a 70°F rise. A built-in board runs up to four zone pumps or three zone valves, Wi-Fi comes standard, and the unit is two inches shorter than the NCB-H. The intake filter cleans without opening the cabinet.
🔒 Website & Cyber Security
CISA: patch PHP now, and take sites offline if you can't (that includes many WordPress sites) (2 minute read)
On Oct. 21, CISA urged immediate patching of two critical PHP flaws, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, that let an attacker take over a server with no login. WordPress runs on PHP, so ask your host which version your site uses and confirm it's on 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 or 8.2.35 or later. If it's on 8.1 or older, or the host can't patch right away, CISA says to take the site offline until it's fixed.
💼 Market, Deals & Workforce
Capstone: private equity is behind 60.5% of residential services deals this year, and HVAC/plumbing/electrical is the No. 2 segment (3 minute read)
Capstone Partners' October report counts 223 residential services deals year to date, down slightly from last year, with sponsors behind 60.5%. HVAC, plumbing and electrical took 19.3% of activity: 43 deals, 27 of them PE-backed. Acquirers paid an average 12.0x EBITDA over the last 12 months. Capstone says buyers increasingly value shops that have institutionalized recruiting, training and technician retention.
⚡ Quick Links
1. Mitsubishi adds the Deluxe Wall-mounted H2i plus: Oct. 19: the new MUZ-FS heat pump with MSZ-FS indoor units holds 100% heating capacity down to -5°F when sized correctly, per Mitsubishi, and adds a coil coating to cut buildup. (Tier A · company)
2. PSEG Long Island: V3.0 rebate workbook required Nov. 1: Home Comfort and Home Performance applications submitted on or after Nov. 1 must use the V3.0 workbook, which updates the NEEP cold-climate list and HPWH qualified products to September 2026. (Tier A · utility notice)
3. Lennox Feel The Love tops 500 donated systems: Oct. 19: Lennox donated the equipment and participating dealers installed it free during the Oct. 3–11 Installation Week, reaching recipients in 47 states. The program has passed 3,600 systems since 2009. (Tier A · company)
4. Schneider Electric and SKILLED Nation open $3,000 trade scholarships: Oct. 19: an added $100,000 funds awards for HVAC, electrical, building-automation and related training programs nationwide. Applications close Nov. 10. (Tier A · company)
5. SharkBite's parent clears its go-shop with no rival bid: Oct. 19: Reliance Worldwide's board still backs Brookfield's US$3.38-a-share cash offer. Brookfield is also Service Experts' parent. Shareholder, court and regulatory approvals remain. (Tier A · ASX filing)
📅 Upcoming Conferences
• ASHRAE Winter Conference 2027 — January 23–27, 2027, Chicago, IL. Technical sessions, ASHRAE Learning Institute courses and committee meetings; a paid conference badge also gets you into AHR Expo (Jan. 25–27, McCormick Place). 90-day. ASHRAE
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All Contractor: direct mail that lands on a foundation built to catch the calls (1 minute read)
A postcard drop only pays off if the phone gets answered, the reviews hold up and the website backs the offer. All Contractor treats direct mail as a floor added once that foundation is ready, alongside paid media and video, not a substitute for it. Most ongoing work runs month to month, and they won't promise a lead count. Start at allcontractor.com/solutions/marketing.
HVACGPT.ai: AI consulting stack for HVAC owners (1 minute read)
AI built specifically for HVAC business owners that provides a KPI and P&L consultant, sales coach, estimate copilot, maintenance plan copilot, training coach, cashflow & budgeting, hiring & pay plans, business valuation & exit, and more! It would take at least 4 different consultants to provide you this guidance. Get the best consulting for your HVAC business at a fraction of the cost.
All Contractor: AI automation for the bottleneck that eats the week (1 minute read)
Custom AI automations built around the shop: routine customer questions, data entry, and the handoff between systems, with a person still checking the work. The first one is scoped to a real bottleneck, not a demo. If the idea will not help the crew, they say so before they build it. Start at allcontractor.com/lp/ai-solutions.