Air Conditioning Prices and Availability for 2022

It’s that time of year again: the calendar is down to one page, and we are making preparations to celebrate all the wonderful holidays that will celebrate the end of 2021. Before you know it, 2022 will be here. Aside from remembering to write out that new digit on your checks though, it may not feel much different than this year when we are talking about the world of HVAC.

Just like virtually all industries experienced, heating and air conditioning units were not immune to shortages and price increases during 2021. Unfortunately, we do expect that this trend will continue into 2022. Although the Trane equipment that we use is built here in the USA, many of the component parts come from all over the world. As we’ve all experienced, international manufacturing and sometimes also shipping delays have been a side effect of the pandemic. The effects on the global economy are evident in our industry as well.

Normally, we receive one or two price increases over the course of a year, typically totaling 5-7%. In 2021, however, we saw four price increases, which varied from 3-5% each, easily toppling previous expectations. Most manufacturers have announced an 8-12% price increase for 2022 already. Parts factories have experienced ongoing supply and labor issues that have simply made many of their products harder to come by.

Typically, the HVAC “special offers” you will often see in the Spring and Fall for great financing or instant rebate deals are backed and timed by the manufacturers. In 2021, the manufacturers did not offer any of these and the dealers (companies like us) had to foot the whole bill. The result? These special offers were much more scarce and smaller in scope than they were in the past. The bad news is that we don’t expect the special offers of old to come back during this coming year either.

The good news is that despite all this uncertainty, there is something that customers can do: Plan! The more lead time that we have on your order, the more likely it will be that we can get you the HVAC system that you want. Is your current unit on its last leg? This is not the year to wait around to find out when it will go completely out. Prepare to be flexible. If your unit does go out unexpectedly, you may have to buy a unit that is more or less efficient than what you wanted just to get some level of cooling or heating in your home.

Gentry is here for you with up to the minute information on the world of HVAC. Get in touch with us today, and we can help you be ready for whatever 2022 throws our way!