Item 1. Business
ITEM 1.
BUSINESS
General
Watsco, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Watsco,” or “we,” “us,” or “our ”
) was incorporated in Florida in 1956 and is the largest distributor of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment and related parts and supplies (“HVAC/R”) in the HVAC/R distribution industry in North America. At December 31, 2021, we operated from 671 locations in 42 U.S. States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico with additional market coverage on an export basis to portions of Latin America and
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the Caribbean, through which we serve more than 120,000 active contractors and dealers that service the replacement and new construction markets. Our revenues in HVAC/R distribution have increased from $64.1 million in 1989 to $6.3 billion in 2021, resulting from our strategic acquisition of companies with established market positions and subsequent building of revenues and profit through a combination of additional locations, introduction of new products, and other initiatives.
Our principal executive office is located at 2665 South Bayshore Drive, Suite 901, Miami, Florida 33133, and our telephone number is (305) 714-4100.
Our website address on the Internet is www.watsco.com and e-mails
may be sent to info@watsco.com. Our website address is included in this report only as an inactive textual reference. Information contained on, or available through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made a part of, this report.
Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Industry
The HVAC/R distribution industry is highly fragmented with approximately 6,700 distribution companies. The industry in the United States and Canada is well-established, having had its primary period of growth during the post-World War II era with the advent of affordable central air conditioning and heating systems for both residential and commercial applications. The advent of HVAC/R products in Latin America and the Caribbean is also well-established but has emerged in more recent years as those economies have grown and products have become more affordable and have matured from luxury to necessity.
Based on data published in the December 2021 IBIS World Industry Report for Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors in the U.S. and other available data, we estimate that the annual market on an installed basis for residential central air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies is approximately $120.0 billion. Air conditioning and heating equipment is manufactured primarily by seven major companies that together account for approximately 90% of all units shipped in the United States each year. These companies are: Carrier Global Corporation (“Carrier”); Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. (“Goodman”), a subsidiary of Daikin Industries, Ltd.; Rheem Manufacturing Company (“Rheem”); Trane Technologies plc (“Trane”); York International Corporation, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls International plc; Lennox International Inc. (“Lennox”); and Nortek Global HVAC, LLC, a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc. These manufacturers distribute their products through a combination of factory-owned locations and independent distributors who, in turn, supply the equipment and related parts and supplies to contractors and dealers that sell to and install the products for consumers, businesses, and other end-users.
Air conditioning and heating equipment is sold to the replacement and new construction markets for both residential and commercial applications. The residential replacement market has increased in size and importance over the past several years as a result of the aging of the installed base of residential central air conditioners and furnaces, the introduction of new higher energy efficient models to address both regulatory mandates as well as consumer optionality, the remodeling and expansion of existing homes, the addition of central air conditioning to homes that previously had only heating products, and consumers’ overall unwillingness to live without air conditioning or heating products. The mechanical life of central air conditioning and furnaces varies by geographical region due to usage and ranges from approximately 8 to 20 years. According to data published by the Energy Information Administration in 2018 there are approximately 91 million central air conditioning and heating systems installed in the United States that have been in service for more than 10 years. Many installed units are currently reaching the end of their useful lives, which we believe long-term provides a growing and stable replacement market.
Additionally, we sell a variety of non-equipment
products including parts, ductwork, air movement products, insulation, tools, installation supplies, thermostats, and air quality products. We distribute products manufactured by Flexible Technologies, Inc. (“Flexible Technologies”), Resideo Technologies, Inc. (“Resideo”), Southwark Metal Mfg. Co. (“Southwark”), Johns Manville (“Johns Manville”) and Owens Corning Insulating Systems, LLC (“Owens Corning”), among others.
We also sell products to the commercial refrigeration market. These products include condensing units, compressors, evaporators, valves, refrigerant, walk-in
coolers, and ice machines for industrial and commercial applications. We distribute products manufactured by Copeland Corporation, LLC, a subsidiary of Emerson Electric Co. (“Emerson”), The Chemours Company (“Chemours”), Mueller Industries, Inc. (“Mueller”), and Welbilt, Inc. (“Welbilt”), among others.
Culture and Business Strategy
Watsco began its HVAC/R distribution strategy in 1989 and has grown by using a “buy and build” philosophy, resulting in substantial long-term growth in revenues and profits. The “buy” component of the strategy has focused on acquiring or investing in market leaders to either expand into new geographic areas or gain additional market share in existing markets. We have employed a disciplined and conservative approach, which seeks opportunities that fit well-defined financial and strategic criteria. The “build” component of the strategy has focused on encouraging growth at acquired companies, by adding products and locations to better serve customers, investing in scalable technologies, and exchanging ideas and
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business concepts amongst leadership teams. Newly acquired businesses have access to our capital resources and established vendor relationships to provide their customers with an expanded array of product lines on favorable terms and conditions with an intensified commitment to service. We have also developed a culture whereby leaders, managers and employees are provided the opportunity to own shares of Watsco through a variety of stock-based equity plans. We believe that this culture instills a performance-driven, long-term focus on the part of our employees and aligns their interests with the interests of other Watsco shareholders.
Culture of Innovation & Technology Strategy
In recent years, we have established a strong culture of innovation, whereby people, processes and technology have rapidly evolved to modernize and digitize our business. With this digital evolution in mind, our efforts have addressed how customers are served, how internal processes and practices can be improved, and how data and analytics can be created and used to enhance long-term performance. Investments include the addition of approximately 300 technology employees along with investments in our locations and infrastructure to enable these technologies.
To that end, several scalable technology platforms have been launched with the largest focus on customer-obsessed technologies, which are improving and transforming the customer experience at all of our locations. Specific initiatives include: (i) mobile applications for iOS and Android devices to help customers operate more efficiently and interact with our locations more easily; (ii) e-commerce
between our customers and our subsidiaries; (iii) supply chain optimization; (iv) building and maintaining the largest source of digitized HVAC/R product information; and (v) the development of business intelligence systems and related data sets, which provide enhanced management tools. In addition, through our subsidiary Watsco Ventures, LLC (“Watsco Ventures”), we have developed (internally and through external collaboration) a variety of early-stage technologies with the goal of helping contractor customers grow and become more profitable, and otherwise compliment the initiatives set forth above.
Strategy in Existing Markets
Our strategy for growth in existing markets focuses on customer service, product expansion, and the implementation of technology to satisfy the needs of the higher growth, higher margin replacement market, in which customers generally demand immediate, convenient, and reliable service. We respond to this need by (i) offering a broad range of product lines, including the necessary equipment at an array of price-points, parts, and supplies to enable a contractor to install or repair a central air conditioner, furnace, or refrigeration system, (ii) maintaining a strong density of warehouse locations for increased customer convenience, (iii) maintaining well-stocked inventories to ensure that customer orders are filled in a timely manner, (iv) providing a high degree of technical expertise at the point of sale, (v) collaborating with customers to advertise and market their business and services in local markets, and (vi) developing and implementing technology to further enhance customer service capabilities. We believe these concepts provide a competitive advantage over smaller, less-capitalized competitors that are unable to commit resources to open and maintain additional locations, implement technological business solutions, provide the same range of products, maintain the same inventory levels, or attract the wide range of expertise that is required to support a diverse product offering. In some geographic areas, we believe we have a competitive advantage over factory-operated distribution networks, which typically do not maintain inventories of parts and supplies that are as diversified as ours and which have fewer warehouse locations than we do, making it more difficult for these competitors to meet the time-sensitive demands of the replacement market.
In addition to the replacement market, we sell to the new construction market, including new homes and commercial construction. We believe our reputation for reliable, high-quality service, and relationships with contractors, who may serve both the replacement and new construction markets, allows us to compete effectively in these markets.
Product Line Expansion
We actively seek new or expanded territories of distribution from our key equipment suppliers. We continually evaluate new parts and supply products to support equipment sales and further enhance service to our customers. This initiative includes increasing our product offering with existing vendors and identifying new product opportunities through traditional and non-traditional
supply channels. We have also introduced private-label products as a means to obtain market share and grow revenues. We believe that our private-label branded products complement our existing product offerings at selected locations, based on customer needs and the particular market position and price of these products.
Acquisition Strategy
We focus on acquiring and investing in businesses that either complement our current presence in existing markets or establish a presence in new geographic markets. Since 1989, we have acquired 66 HVAC/R distribution businesses, some of which currently operate as primary operating subsidiaries. Other smaller acquired distributors have been integrated into or are under the management of our primary operating subsidiaries. Through a combination of sales and market share growth,
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opening of new locations, tuck-in
acquisitions, expansion of product lines, improved pricing, and programs that have resulted in higher gross profit, performance incentives, and a culture of equity value for key leadership, we have produced substantial sales and earnings growth in our acquired businesses. We continue to pursue additional strategic acquisitions, investments and joint ventures to allow further penetration in existing markets and expansion into new geographic markets.
Operating Philosophy
We encourage our local leadership to operate in a manner that builds upon the long-term relationships they have established with their suppliers and customers. Typically, we maintain the identity of businesses by retaining their historical trade names, management teams and sales organizations, and continuity of their product brand-name offerings. We believe this strategy allows us to build on the value of the acquired operations by creating additional sales opportunities while providing an attractive exit strategy for the former owners of these companies.
We maintain a specialized staff at our corporate headquarters that provides functional support for our subsidiaries’ growth strategies in their respective markets. Such functional support staff includes specialists in finance, accounting, product procurement, information technology, treasury and working capital management, tax planning, risk management, and safety. Certain general and administrative expenses are targeted for cost savings by leveraging the overall business volume and improving operating efficiencies.
Human Capital Management
Employee Population
As the largest distributor of HVAC/R equipment and related parts and supplies in North America, we have a wide variety of employees. Given the breadth of our employee base, we tailor our human capital management policies with a view to specific employee populations.
As of December 31, 2021, we employed approximately 6,850 full-time and 50 part-time employees, or approximately 6,900 total employees, substantially all of whom were non-union
employees. Of these employees, approximately 9% were located in Canada and Mexico. Additionally, we use independent contractors and temporary personnel in the normal course of business to supplement our workforce.
Diversity and Inclusion
We value and foster the diversity and inclusion of the people with whom we work. Our commitment includes providing equal access to, and participation in, employment and advancement opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran or military status, pregnancy status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. Diverse teams facilitate contributions from people of different backgrounds and varied points of view. Furthermore, we believe that well managed diverse teams make better decisions faster and outperform less diverse teams. Additionally, we believe that employees who feel valued, understood, and inspired benefit the Company as a whole. Inclusive leadership leads to innovative solutions and an inclusive environment is a critical foundation for us, as high-performing, engaged teams join together to help us implement our strategies.
Compensation and Benefits
We focus on attracting and retaining employees by providing compensation and benefits programs that are competitive within our industry, taking into account each job position’s location and responsibilities. In addition to salaries, commission programs, cash incentives, and stock-based equity plans, we also provide a 401(k) retirement plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan in which most of our employees may purchase our stock at a discount, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings accounts, paid time off, and various services and tools to support our employees’ health and wellness.
Pay-for-Performance
and Ownership Culture
We maintain a culture that rewards performance of key leaders through stock-based equity plans, which include the granting of stock options and non-vested
restricted stock based on individual merit and measures of performance. Approximately 200 employees received such equity awards in 2021. Our equity compensation plans are designed to promote long-term performance, as well as to create long-term employee retention, continuity of leadership, and an ownership culture whereby management and employees think and act as owners of the Company. We believe that our restricted stock program is unique because an employee’s restricted share grants generally vest entirely and only at the end of his or her career (age 62 or later) and, prior to retirement, these grants remain subject to significant risk of forfeiture.
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Talent Development
Our culture celebrates talent sharing, career development, and agility across the Company. We provide a wide variety of opportunities for professional growth and talent development for all employees, including online trainings, on-the-job
experience, and education tuition assistance.
Health and Safety
We continuously strive to improve all aspects of our work practices. We actively support a culture of safety and wellness for the benefit of our employees and their families along with our customers. Providing a safe and healthy work environment is a business priority and is core to our values. Health and safety are an essential part of a broader workforce strategy that reduces the risk of harm to employees and helps them remain healthy, engaged and productive.
To build and sustain a culture based on these principles, our commitment to safety and wellness is incorporated into the incentive structure of our key operational leaders. For wellness, we measure employee engagement in completing annual physicals and health assessments to help ensure that our philosophical values are put into action. For safety, we measure and carefully evaluate incidents related to workers compensation, vehicle accidents and injuries to third-parties, and we continuously seek to improve safety measures intended to reduce the number of such incidents.
In response to the COVID-19
pandemic, we took steps to safeguard the health of our employees. This included having certain of our employees work from home, while implementing additional safety measures for employees continuing essential on-site
work, such as creating more space between work areas, providing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, establishing mitigation policies in the event of cases of illness, and instituting contactless sales and servicing capabilities at many of our locations.
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Products
We sell an expansive line of products and maintain a diverse mix of inventory to meet our customers’ immediate needs, and we seek to provide products a contractor would generally require when installing or repairing a central air conditioner, furnace, or refrigeration system on short notice. The cooling capacity of air conditioning units is measured in tons. One ton of cooling capacity is equivalent to 12,000 British Thermal Units (“BTUs”) and is generally adequate to air condition approximately 500 square feet of residential space. The products we distribute consist of: (i) equipment, including residential ducted and ductless air conditioners ranging from 1 to 5 tons, gas, electric, and oil furnaces ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 BTUs, commercial air conditioning and heating equipment systems ranging from 1-1/2
to 25 tons, and other specialized equipment, (ii) parts, including replacement compressors, evaporator coils, motors, and other component parts, (iii) supplies, including thermostats, insulation material, refrigerants, ductwork, grills, registers, sheet metal, tools, copper tubing, concrete pads, tape, adhesives, and other ancillary supplies and (iv) plumbing and bathroom remodeling supplies in a limited number of stores.
Sales of HVAC equipment, which we currently source from approximately 20 vendors, accounted for 69% of our revenues for both the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Sales of other HVAC products, which we currently source from approximately 1,200 vendors, comprised 28% of our revenues for both the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Sales of commercial refrigeration products, which we currently source from approximately 140 vendors, accounted for 3% of our revenues for both the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Distribution and Sales
At December 31, 2021, we operated from 671 locations, a vast majority of which are located in regions that we believe have demographic trends favorable to our business. We maintain large inventories at each of our warehouse locations and either deliver products to customers using our trucks or third-party logistics providers, or we make products available for pick-up
at the location nearest to the particular customer. We have approximately 1,100 salespeople, averaging 13 years of experience in the HVAC/R distribution industry.
The markets we serve are as follows:
% of Revenues
for the Year Ended
December 31, 2021
Number of
Locations as of
December 31, 2021
United States
90
%
611
Canada
6
%
36
Latin America and the Caribbean
4
%
24
Total
100
%
671
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The largest market we serve is the United States, in which the most significant markets for HVAC/R products are in the Sun Belt states. Accordingly, the majority of our distribution locations are in the Sun Belt, with the highest concentration in Florida and Texas. These markets have been a strategic focus of ours given their size, the reliance by homeowners and businesses on HVAC/R products to maintain a comfortable indoor environment, and the population growth in these areas over the last 40 years, which has led to a substantial installed base requiring replacement, a shorter useful life for equipment given the significant hours of operation, and the focus by electrical utilities on consumer incentives designed to promote replacement of HVAC/R equipment in an effort to improve energy efficiency.
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Markets
The table below identifies the number of our stores by location as of December 31, 2021:
Florida
103
Texas
88
North Carolina
48
California
37
Louisiana
35
Georgia
33
South Carolina
31
Virginia
26
Tennessee
24
Pennsylvania
21
Illinois
17
New York
16
New Jersey
15
Alabama
10
Massachusetts
10
Arizona
9
Mississippi
9
Missouri
9
Connecticut
8
Kansas
7
Maryland
7
Indiana
5
Oklahoma
5
Utah
5
Arkansas
4
Minnesota
3
West Virginia
3
Colorado
2
Iowa
2
Kentucky
2
Maine
2
Nebraska
2
Nevada
2
South Dakota
2
Wisconsin
2
Delaware
1
Michigan
1
New Hampshire
1
New Mexico
1
North Dakota
1
Rhode Island
1
Vermont
1
United States
611
Canada
36
Mexico
12
Puerto Rico
12
Total
671
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Joint Ventures with Carrier Global Corporation
In 2009, we formed a joint venture with Carrier Global Corporation (“Carrier”), which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise I, in which Carrier contributed company-owned locations in the Sun Belt states and Puerto Rico, and its export division in Miami, Florida, and we contributed certain locations that distributed Carrier products. We have an 80% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise I, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling
interest. The export division, Carrier InterAmerica Corporation, redomesticated from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Delaware effective December 31, 2019, following which Carrier InterAmerica Corporation became a separate operating entity in which we have an 80% controlling interest and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling
interest. On August 1, 2019, Carrier Enterprise I acquired substantially all of the HVAC assets and assumed certain of the liabilities of Peirce-Phelps, Inc. (“PPI”), an HVAC distributor operating from 19 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
In 2011, we formed a second joint venture with Carrier, which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise II, in which Carrier contributed company-owned locations in the Northeast U.S., and we contributed certain locations operating as Homans Associates LLC (“Homans”), a Watsco subsidiary, in the Northeast U.S. Subsequently, Carrier Enterprise II purchased Carrier’s distribution operations in Mexico. We have an 80% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise II, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling interest. Effective May 31, 2019, we repurchased the 20% ownership interest in Homans from Carrier Enterprise II, following which we own 100% of Homans. Homans previously operated as a division of Carrier Enterprise II and subsequent to the purchase operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
In 2012, we formed a third joint venture with Carrier, which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise III. Carrier contributed 35 of its company-owned locations in Canada to Carrier Enterprise III. We have a 60% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise III, and Carrier has a 40% non-controlling
interest.
On April 9, 2021, we acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities comprising the HVAC distribution business of Temperature Equipment Corporation, an HVAC distributor operating from 32 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. We formed a new, stand-alone joint venture with Carrier, TEC Distribution LLC (“TEC”), that operates this business. We have an 80% controlling interest in TEC, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling
interest.
Combined, the joint ventures with Carrier represented 56% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021. See Supplier Concentration
in “Business Risk Factors” in Item 1A.
The business and affairs of the joint ventures are controlled, directed, and managed exclusively by Carrier Enterprise I’s, Carrier Enterprise II’s, Carrier Enterprise III’s, and TEC’s respective boards of directors (the “Boards”) pursuant to related operating agreements. The Boards have full, complete and exclusive authority, power, and discretion to manage and control the business, property, and affairs of their respective joint ventures, and to make all decisions regarding those matters and to perform activities customary or incident to the management of such joint ventures, including approval of distributions to us and Carrier. Each Board is composed of five directors, of whom three directors represent our controlling interest and two directors represent Carrier’s non-controlling
interest. Matters presented to the Boards for vote are considered approved or consented to upon the receipt of the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all directors entitled to vote with the exception of certain governance matters, which require joint approval.
Customers and Customer Service
Air conditioning and heating contractors and dealers that install HVAC/R products in homes and businesses must be licensed given the highly regulated nature of the products, refrigerant, natural gas, and building and zoning requirements. We currently serve more than 120,000 active contractors and dealers who service the replacement and new construction markets for residential and light commercial central air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration systems. No single customer in 2021, 2020 or 2019 represented more than 2% of our consolidated revenues. We focus on providing products where and when the customer needs them, technical support by phone or on site as required, and quick and efficient service at our locations. Increased customer convenience is also provided through mobile applications and e-commerce,
which allows customers to access information online 24 hours a day, seven days a week to search for desired products, verify inventory availability, obtain pricing, place orders, check order status, schedule pickup or delivery times, and make payments. We believe we compete successfully with other distributors primarily based on an experienced sales organization, strong service support, maintenance of well-stocked inventories, density of warehouse locations, high quality reputation, broad product lines, and the ability to foresee customer demand for new products.
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Key Supplier Relationships
Given our leadership position, Watsco represents a strategic business relationship to many of the leading manufacturers in our industry. Significant relationships with HVAC/R equipment manufacturers include Carrier, Rheem, Goodman, Welbilt, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Gree Electric Appliances, Inc., Trane, Lennox, and Midea Group. In addition, we have substantial relationships with manufacturers of non-equipment
HVAC/R products, including Chemours, Emerson, Flexible Technologies, Resideo, Southwark, Johns Manville, Mueller, and Owens Corning.
We believe the diversity of products that we sell, along with the manufacturers’ current product offerings, quality, marketability, and brand-name recognition, allow us to operate favorably relative to our competitors. To maintain brand-name recognition, HVAC/R equipment manufacturers provide national advertising and participate with us in cooperative advertising programs and promotional incentives that are targeted to both dealers and end-users.
We estimate that the replacement market for residential air conditioning equipment is approximately 85%-90%
of industry unit sales in the United States, and we expect this percentage to increase as units installed in the past 20 years wear out or otherwise become practical to replace sooner with newer, more energy-efficient models.
The Company’s top ten suppliers accounted for 83% of our purchases, including 61% from Carrier, and 10% from Rheem. Given the significant concentration of our suppliers, particularly with Carrier and Rheem, any significant interruption with these suppliers, including limitations on the ability of our suppliers to manufacture, or procure from manufacturers, the products we sell, or to meet delivery requirements and commitments, in each case related to the COVID-19
pandemic, could temporarily disrupt the operations of certain of our subsidiaries, impact current inventory levels, and could adversely affect our financial results. If any restrictions or significant increase in tariffs under existing trade agreements are imposed on products that our top ten suppliers import or assemble outside of the United States, particularly from Mexico and China, we could be required to raise our prices, which may result in the loss of customers and harm to our business. Future financial results are also materially dependent upon the continued market acceptance of these manufacturers’ respective products and their ability to continue to manufacture products that comply with laws relating to environmental and efficiency standards. However, the Company believes that alternative or substitute products would be readily available in the event of disruption of current supplier relationships given the Company’s prominence in the marketplace, including the number of locations, sales personnel, support structure, marketing and sales expertise, financial position, and established market share. See “Business Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K
for further discussion.
Distribution Agreements
We maintain trade name and distribution agreements with Carrier, Rheem, and Mitsubishi that provide us distribution rights on an exclusive basis in specified territories and are not subject to a stated term or expiration date. We also maintain distribution agreements with various other suppliers, either on an exclusive or non-exclusive
basis, for various terms ranging from one to ten years. Certain distribution agreements for particular branded products contain provisions that restrict or limit the sale of competitive products in the locations that sell such branded products. Other than where such location-level restrictions apply, we may distribute the lines of other manufacturers’ air conditioning or heating equipment in other locations in the same territories.
See Supplier Concentration
in “Business Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Seasonality
Sales of residential central air conditioners, heating equipment, and parts and supplies are seasonal. Furthermore, profitability can be impacted favorably or unfavorably based on weather patterns, particularly during Summer and Winter selling seasons. Demand related to the residential central air conditioning replacement market is typically highest in the second and third quarters, and demand for heating equipment is usually highest in the first and fourth quarters. Demand related to the new construction sectors throughout most of the markets we serve tends to be fairly evenly distributed throughout the year and depends largely on housing completions and related weather and economic conditions.
Competition
We operate in highly competitive environments. We compete with a number of distributors and also with several air conditioning and heating equipment manufacturers that distribute a significant portion of their products through their own distribution organizations in certain markets. Competition within any given geographic market is based upon product availability, customer service, price, and quality. Competitive pressures or other factors could cause our products or services to lose market acceptance or result in significant price erosion, all of which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity.
Order Backlog
Order backlog is not a material aspect of our business, and no material portion of our business is subject to government contracts.
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Government Regulations, Environmental and Health and Safety Matters
Our business is subject to federal, state and local laws, and regulations relating to the storage, handling, transportation, and release of hazardous materials into the environment. These laws and regulations include the Clean Air Act, relating to minimum energy efficiency standards of HVAC systems, and the production, servicing, and disposal of more environmentally friendly refrigerants used in such systems, including those established by the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol concerning the phase-down of the production of HFC-based
refrigerants for use in new equipment. We are also subject to regulations concerning the transport of hazardous materials, including regulations adopted pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1990. Our operations are also subject to health and safety requirements including, but not limited to, the Occupational, Safety and Health Act. We believe that we operate our business in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, and regulations.
Our industry and business are also subject to United States Department of Energy (“DOE”) standards related to the minimum required efficiency levels of residential central air conditioning systems and heat pumps. For purposes of establishing these energy conservation standards, the DOE divides the United States into three regions (the North, the Southeast, and the Southwest) according to the number of hours that an air conditioner operates to cool a home during the hotter months. The seasonal energy efficiency rating, or SEER, is the metric used to measure HVAC energy efficiency. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the HVAC equipment. The current minimum SEER allowed for HVAC equipment is 13 SEER in the North and 14 SEER for the Southeast and Southwest regions.
Beginning in 2023, the minimum efficiency level for residential HVAC systems under 45,000 BTUs will be 14 SEER in the North and 15 SEER in the Southeast and Southwest. For systems over 45,000 BTUs, the minimum efficiency level will be 14 SEER in the North and 14.5 SEER in the Southeast and Southwest. Heat pump efficiency levels, which are measured by the equipment’s heating seasonal performance factor (“HSPF”), will be 8.8 HSPF compared with the 8.2 HSPF required by the current standard for all three regions. It is too early to determine the impact to our results of operations this transition will have; however, we expect a benefit from selling higher efficiency units, which sell at higher prices.
In December 2020, the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (the “AIM Act”) was enacted, which gave the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) regulatory authority to address hydrofluorocarbon (“HFC”) refrigerants. HFCs were developed to replace certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons that were harmful to the ozone layer, but are considered potent greenhouse gases as a result of their global warming potential (“GWP”). The Aim Act directed the EPA to administer an 85% phasedown down of the production and consumption of HFCs over a 15-year
timeframe beginning on January 1, 2022 and put in place restrictions on HVAC equipment that require them to have refrigerants with less than 750 GWP by January 1, 2025. We are planning for the transition of our inventory to HVAC equipment with refrigerants that comply with the new standard, and we believe we will complete this transition in accordance with the required timeline.
During 2014, the DOE established new rules for the manufacturing of motors used in residential furnaces with the purpose of increasing the energy efficiency of these motors, and, consequently, the furnaces in which they operate. The mandate dictates that residential furnace fans manufactured in the United States on or after the effective date of July 3, 2019, must have a Fan Energy Rating (“FER”) value reduction of 12% or 46% in watts/cfm, depending on the type of furnace. To meet these new standards, most manufacturers have replaced the permanent split capacitor blower motors in residential furnaces with electronic controlled motors. At December 31, 2020, the transition of our inventory of residential furnaces to those meeting the updated FER standards was complete.
Climate Change and Reductions in CO 2
e Emissions
We believe that our business plays an important and significant role in the drive to lower CO2e emissions. According to the DOE, heating and air conditioning accounts for roughly half of household energy consumption in the United States. As such, replacing HVAC systems at higher efficiency levels is one of the most meaningful steps homeowners can take to reduce their electricity costs and carbon footprint over time.
The overwhelming majority of new HVAC systems that we sell replace systems that likely operate well below current minimum efficiency standards in the United States and may use more harmful refrigerants that have been, or are being, phased-out. As
consumers replace HVAC systems with new, higher-efficiency systems, homeowners will consume less energy, save costs and reduce the carbon footprint over time.
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The sale of high-efficiency systems has long been a focus of ours, and we have invested in tools and technology intended to capture an increasingly richer sales mix over time. In addition, regulatory mandates will periodically increase the required minimum SEER, thus providing a catalyst for greater sales of higher-efficiency systems.
We offer a broad variety of systems that operate beyond the minimum SEER standards, including systems that operate at more than 20 SEER. Our sales of higher-efficiency residential HVAC systems grew 26% organically in 2021, outpacing the overall growth rate of 17% for residential HVAC equipment in the United States. Based on estimates validated by independent sources, we averted an estimated 10.1 million metric tons of CO2e emissions during 2020 and 2021 through the sale of replacement residential HVAC systems at higher-efficiency standards – the equivalent of nearly 2.2 million passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year. More information, including sources and assumptions used to support our estimates, can be found at www.watsco.com/environment
. Information contained on, or available through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made a part of, this report.
Available Information
Our website is at www.watsco.com
. Our investor relations website is located at https://investors.watsco.com
. We make available, free of charge, on our investor relations website under the heading “SEC Filings” our annual reports on Form 10-K,
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,
current reports on Form 8-K,
and any amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our website address is included in this report only as an inactive textual reference. Information contained on, or available through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made a part of, this report.