COLUMBUS, OH – HARDI released its monthly TRENDS report, showing sales by HARDI distributors increased by 7.6% during August 2026.

The annual sales growth for the 12 months through July 2026 is an increase of 3.4%.

“July and August were the best back-to-back sales growth since late 2022 after the sales growth peaked,” said Brian Loftus, Senior Market Analyst at HARDI. “The 7.6% gain this month was helped by warmer than normal temps against below normal temps in most regions last August.”

HARDI’s monthly distributor sales survey also calculates Days Sales Outstanding or DSO which is a measure of how quickly customers pay their bills. The DSO for August 2026 was less than 37 days which is about the same as July, and comparable to July and August last summer. “The DSO is not indicating any market stress. We expect it to increase the next few months as part of the normal seasonality.”

“It is nice to see a couple of good months of sales growth,” said Loftus. “That is a more encouraging headline than the increasing inflation and interest rates.”

HARDI members do not receive financial compensation in exchange for their monthly sales data and can discontinue their participation without prior notice or penalty. Participation is voluntary, and the depth of market coverage varies from region to region. An independent entity collects and compiles the data that can include products not directly associated with the HVACR industry.