Building & Mechanical
Five service segments
HVACPlumbingElectricalSolar & StorageCommercial Refrigeration
For the owner of a mechanical contracting business. What changed in the rules, what it costs, and what to do about it — every other Monday, free to read and free to print.
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NFPA's code panel deadlocked 10-10 on a two-year delay, so the September 1 GFCI requirement for outdoor HVAC equipment stands while ACCA and AHRI appeal.
NFPA's code panel deadlocked 10-10 on delaying the outdoor HVAC GFCI requirement, which took effect September 1 while ACCA appeals; the construction materials price index has risen every month since April, Section 301 forced-labor duties of 10 or 12.5 percent now reach 60 economies, Commerce set 82.03 to 153.67 percent duties on Laotian solar cells, and a judge vacated EPA's termination of the $7 billion Solar for All program — every claim sourced.
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Canada's retaliatory tariffs on roughly $27.6 billion of U.S. goods took effect September 8, and Washington modifies its own 50% Section 338 duty list on September 15.
Canada's retaliatory tariffs hit $27.6 billion of U.S. goods on September 8 and Washington modifies its own 50% Section 338 list on September 15; five HVAC makers posted 5–15% September increases, CBP starts rejecting copper entries that do not declare a smelt country on September 14, Commerce set 147–268% duties on solar cells from three countries, and supermarket refrigeration faces a 1,400 GWP ceiling from January 1 — every claim sourced.
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The IRS confirmed on August 10 that employers must report FLSA overtime premiums in box 12 of the 2026 Form W-2 under a new code TT
The IRS made 2026 overtime a W-2 reporting problem, Commerce proposed tariffing heat exchanger parts and electric cable, an August 26 executive order shut foreign transformers and inverters out of the bulk power grid, solar modules got a $0.38-a-watt price floor, and June equipment shipments jumped — every claim sourced.
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Section 232 tariffs cut residential HVAC duty to 15%, but commercial refrigeration, copper pipe and electrical wire still pay 25% as copper hit a record $6.71 a pound
Plumbing and HVAC/R distributors posted August 2026 price hikes from 3% to 25%, the EV charger tax credit expired June 30, lead-service-line replacement plans are due November 1, 2027, and Texas adopts the 2026 electrical code September 1 — every claim sourced.
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