Warm winter means savings for Homeowners, work for Contractors

What is the deal with the weather this year? It’s been a highly unusual winter in the midwest and northeast with temperatures routinely in the 50s and 60s. And whereas this has been bad for ski resort operators and people in the snow removal business, it’s been good for homeowners and the home improvement industry overall.

My first thought - is this the global warming we keep hearing about? Uh, that was fast. But that’s not it. The cause of all this balmy weather is El Nino and a jet stream that is so far north that it is locking out the cold arctic air that usually sweeps into the U.S. from Canada - to quote CBS Early Show meteorologist Dave Price.

This “lack of cold air” has translated into big savings on heating bills, gasoline, car upkeep, and winter clothing - so far.

It has also been beneficial to the Construction and Home Improvement industries. Home Depot reports that sales of concrete, lumber, and roofing materials are up because contractors are still able to work when normally it wouldn’t be possible. They’re taking advantage of the weather to remodel, do additions, build garages, etc.

It still remains to be seen how long this will last. As the cliche goes the weather can turn on a dime. So enjoy it while it lasts folks and take a moment to think about our neighbours on the Plains and in the Southeast.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 7th, 2007 at 4:07 pm and is filed under News & Analysis, Industry Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.