HVAC Manufacturers Seek Dismissal of Price-Fixing Lawsuits

A group of major HVAC manufacturers, including companies tied to Carrier, Daikin, Rheem, Lennox, Bosch, AAON, and Trane Technologies, has asked a court to throw out lawsuits accusing them of coordinating price increases on heating and cooling equipment starting in January 2020. Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US filed a separate request. The lawsuits claim these companies, which together represent more than 90% of the U.S. HVAC equipment market, worked together through information-sharing and public statements to push prices higher than they would have risen on their own.

The manufacturers argue there's no real evidence of an actual agreement to fix prices, pointing out that their price hikes varied widely in size and timing. They say the real causes were pandemic-era supply chain problems, new SEER2 efficiency standards, a federally mandated switch to different refrigerants, and tariffs on metals like steel, aluminum, and copper. They also defend their public price announcements and trade-group data sharing as normal business practice, not collusion. Mitsubishi's filing separately argues its ductless mini-split and variable-speed systems shouldn't even be grouped with the ducted equipment named in the suits.

For now, a judge has to decide whether the lawsuits have enough evidence to move forward or whether the price hikes were simply separate companies responding to the same industry pressures. There's no deadline or rebate news here for homeowners, but the case could eventually affect how HVAC equipment is priced if the claims hold up.