Home Improvement

ACHR NEWS Lands at No. 4 on HG HomeClub’s Ranking of the 25 Most Influential Publications and Media Platforms Serving Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living

By HG HomeClub September 1, 2026 17 min read

Founded in 1926 as a refrigeration-industry newspaper and now operating across editorial reporting, recognition programs, newsletters, webinars, podcasts and video, ACHR NEWS is recognized as the fourth most influential media brand serving the trades

August 29, 2026 – HG HomeClub today named ACHR NEWS the No. 4 media brand on its ranking of the 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living. The placement recognizes a publication whose authority in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration has been built through nearly a century of reporting on the equipment, regulations, business decisions and workforce questions that determine how HVACR companies operate.

The ranking evaluates the publications, magazines, digital platforms and media brands that professional contractors, remodelers, home service operators and outdoor living companies use to make better decisions. ACHR NEWS placed No. 4 in a field of 25 because it has remained useful through successive changes in its industry: from electric refrigeration to comfort cooling, from print publishing to a multichannel information platform, and from a trade organized around equipment to one increasingly shaped by technology, energy policy, labor availability and business performance.

A curated media platform built on “informed transparency” turns its attention to the publications the trades actually rely on

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform serving homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Its work is organized around informed transparency: the principle that better decisions follow from better information, and that the people making those decisions deserve to see the standards behind a judgment rather than simply being handed a verdict.

That principle is why HG HomeClub examines the trade press itself. Contractors do not consume trade media as a pastime. They use it to understand product changes, prepare crews for new standards, weigh technology investments, study the moves of competitors, recognize emerging leaders and translate a fast-changing marketplace into operating decisions. The question behind this ranking is therefore practical: which organizations consistently help working companies do those things?

For HVACR professionals, ACHR NEWS has supplied one of the industry’s longest-running answers. Its stated role is direct: it serves as a link between buyers and sellers and helps decision-makers across residential, commercial and industrial HVACR navigate energy management, equipment and component selection, refrigerants, regulatory affairs, marketing, sales and management.

The criteria behind the list: usefulness to owners, not traffic, followers or the age of a masthead

Placement on the list was determined against six standards: industry influence and professional recognition; practical value to contractors and company owners; quality and depth of original content; reach among professional decision-makers; strength of rankings, research, events and recognition programs; and the ability to educate and connect the contractor community.

The list is explicitly not a ranking of website traffic, social media followers, advertising volume or publication age. Longevity and circulation were considered, but were not permitted to automatically outweigh a publication’s usefulness to the contractors it serves. Specialized publications were assessed within the context of the markets they serve, on the reasoning that a title with deep authority in a single trade can matter more to the people in that trade than a broader title with a larger audience and a shallower relationship.

Applied to ACHR NEWS, those standards point to a platform with unusual continuity. It has deep professional recognition in HVACR, useful coverage for contractors and company owners, a wide range of formats and a recognition ecosystem that reaches technicians, young professionals, women in the trade, contractors, distributors and manufacturers. Its influence is concentrated in HVACR rather than spread evenly across every segment of home improvement, home services and outdoor living. Within that trade, however, few publications combine its historical standing, editorial breadth and ability to convene the industry around the people and work worth noticing.

A refrigeration newspaper became a record of the entire HVACR economy

ACHR NEWS began as Electric Refrigeration News, whose first issue was dated September 11, 1926. The original publication was created as electric refrigeration was becoming a consequential commercial market, and it was launched by F. M. Cockrell through Business News Publishing Co., the company now known as BNP Media. The original proposition was practical: recognize the expanding refrigeration market and provide useful, insightful information to the industry working inside it.

That origin matters because the publication’s identity has always evolved with the technology it covers. In 1936, the title became Air Conditioning and Refrigeration News as comfort cooling gained commercial ground. In 1958, it adopted the name The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS, expanding its editorial frame as heating became an inseparable part of the contractor’s business. Today, it is widely known as ACHR NEWS, but the full name still describes the operational territory it covers.

The line that best captures its established role appears on the publication’s own contact page: ACHR NEWS is “the HVACR contractors’ most trusted news magazine.” It is a statement of purpose rather than an abstract slogan. The platform’s coverage runs from refrigeration cycles and the AHR Expo to energy management, indoor air quality, equipment, refrigerants, sales, marketing and management – subjects that sit across the technical and commercial life of an HVACR company.

BNP Media, its parent company, remains a fourth-generation, family-run B2B media company. That institutional continuity gives ACHR NEWS a longer perspective than the news cycle alone. The publication has reported through the rise of forced-air heating and modern air conditioning, efficiency standards, the digitization of contractor operations, changing refrigerant rules and the growing importance of electrification, heat pumps and connected equipment.

The annual honors make the industry’s workforce visible

The strongest explanation for ACHR NEWS’ place near the top of this ranking is not one revenue table. It is a system of recognition programs that treats HVACR as an industry of people as well as equipment. Its annual contests and honors are designed to surface the contractor leaders, distributors, technicians, younger professionals, educators, products and advocates whose work often shapes a market long before it appears in a financial report.

The HVAC All-Star Awards illustrate the breadth of that approach. The program is designed to highlight outstanding people and products across categories that include residential products, commercial products, podcasters and influencers, residential contracting businesses, commercial contracting businesses, industry legends and HVAC schools. The category structure matters. It acknowledges that an HVACR ecosystem is built by far more than the largest companies: it also depends on the technicians, instructors, educators, communicators and product innovators who make technical progress operational.

The Top 40 Under 40 is the clearest expression of the platform’s long-view workforce work. ACHR NEWS asks readers to nominate professionals who are coming up through manufacturing, distribution, instruction and contracting, then recognizes 40 people helping lead the field into its next generation. In an industry where leadership succession and skilled-worker development are persistent business issues, the program identifies the people who are already carrying responsibility before they reach conventional seniority.

The same recognition framework extends to women shaping the trade. Through its Women in HVAC coverage, ACHR NEWS spotlights women who are making a difference across the industry. Its HVAC Technician Spotlight operates at a more granular level, inviting nominations for technicians whose performance deserves public recognition. That distinction is consequential: a trade publication can write extensively about workforce shortages, or it can also give individual professionals a visible reason to see a durable career in the field. ACHR NEWS does both.

The platform’s distributor coverage broadens that view further. Distribution Trends, a bimonthly insert to ACHR NEWS, recognizes sales leaders in HVACR distribution and reports on their growth, success stories and long-term goals. Contractors depend on the distribution system for product availability, technical support, price intelligence and relationships that can determine whether a job gets completed. A publication that recognizes that supply-side infrastructure sees the trade in full.

A live and digital platform keeps the conversation moving between issues

A trade magazine’s relevance once depended primarily on the next issue arriving in the mail. ACHR NEWS operates differently now. It maintains a print and eMagazine presence while extending its work through website coverage, eNewsletters, webinars, podcasts and video. The result is a platform able to address a breaking product announcement or policy shift when it happens, then return to the topic with deeper reporting, training and industry conversation.

Its programming follows the rhythm of the HVACR calendar. The publication covers the AHR Expo, where manufacturers, distributors, engineers, contractors and other professionals gather around the technologies changing the market. It also uses webinars and digital programming to explore the business and technical questions that do not fit neatly into a show-floor conversation: artificial intelligence, sales management, efficiency, service operations, workforce development and the changing role of the contractor.

This format mix makes ACHR NEWS useful to different kinds of readers without forcing them into the same use case. A service-company owner can follow management and regulatory coverage. A technical leader can track equipment, refrigerants and installation issues. A distributor can examine sales and supply-chain developments. A manufacturer can observe the questions contractors are asking. And an emerging professional can encounter peers who are already shaping the field.

The platform’s reach is also strategic because HVACR is not one market. Residential replacement, commercial service, refrigeration, indoor air quality, building controls, distribution and manufacturing overlap but operate at different speeds and under different pressures. ACHR NEWS covers that complexity rather than pretending that every HVACR contractor has the same business model.

The editorial operation reflects the trade’s many operating realities

The ACHR NEWS editorial team is led by Sarah Harding, publisher, and Kyle Gargaro, editorial director and associate publisher. Their team includes Joanna R. Turpin, senior editor; Maria Taylor, senior managing editor; and editors Hannah Belloli, Matt Jachman and Dylan Kurt. Austin Keating serves as SNIPS NEWS editor.

That structure signals the scope of the publication’s work. The HVACR trade includes field service, technical installation, design and engineering, regulation, distribution, product development, business ownership and labor management. An editorial operation covering it responsibly needs to report across those lines without treating a contractor’s business as merely an outlet for products or a technical system as disconnected from the people who install and maintain it.

The record extends beyond day-to-day coverage. ACHR NEWS received two Tabbie Awards in 2021 for COVID-19 coverage and a special section. That recognition matters because the early pandemic period tested trade journalism’s ability to deliver information that readers could use under immediate operational pressure. HVACR contractors had to protect employees, interpret changing requirements, serve customers and maintain continuity in a rapidly shifting environment. Useful coverage was not optional.

The publication’s parent, BNP Media, describes its purpose as driving industries forward with authentic content, engaged communities and powerful connections. For ACHR NEWS, the standard is visible in the editorial mix: technical details are paired with business context, and recognition programs are paired with the kinds of reporting that explain why those people and organizations matter.

Its scope explains both its strength and its No. 4 placement

ACHR NEWS scored especially strongly on industry influence and professional recognition, original content, reach among HVACR decision-makers, and its capacity to educate and connect a contractor community across formats. HG HomeClub found it to be one of the most dependable and authoritative information resources available to HVACR professionals, with a legacy that remains operationally relevant rather than ceremonial.

Its fourth-place position also reflects the discipline of the ranking. ACHR NEWS is centered on HVACR, including residential, commercial and industrial dimensions of the trade. That depth is its chief advantage, but it necessarily limits direct usefulness for leaders whose businesses sit primarily in roofing, remodeling, landscaping, pools, electrical contracting or other categories within home improvement, home services and outdoor living.

The titles above it each occupy a different kind of structural role. Qualified Remodeler has a broader remodeling-and-home-improvement business footprint and a defining company-ranking franchise. Roofing Contractor holds an unusually concentrated role in roofing recognition, events and contractor education. Power100 operates across home improvement, home services and outdoor living with a cross-category leadership-ranking model. Those are differences in scope and method, not a judgment that ACHR NEWS is less authoritative in the domain it serves.

Within HVACR, ACHR NEWS is unmatched in the continuity of its role: it is a publication that has documented the industry’s technical evolution while continually expanding the formats through which contractors, distributors, manufacturers and engineers can learn from one another.

In a changing HVACR market, dependable trade media becomes more valuable

HVACR companies are making decisions in a market where technological change is no longer confined to equipment specifications. Heat pumps, refrigerant transitions, building electrification, connected systems, indoor-air-quality expectations, automation and AI-enabled business tools all bring new questions to the owner, service manager, installer and distributor. Regulation can change the financial logic of a product line; labor constraints can alter the economics of growth; and supply-chain shifts can change what can be promised to a customer.

That environment raises the value of credible trade media. Contractors need reporting that distinguishes a product announcement from a durable market shift, practical coverage that translates technical change into field relevance, and recognition programs that show the industry’s next leaders what a career can become. ACHR NEWS has repeatedly adjusted its platform to meet that need without losing its original purpose.

The publication began by helping an emerging refrigeration market understand its own importance. A century later, it serves an HVACR economy whose systems are essential to comfort, food preservation, public health, commerce and energy use. The tools have changed. The requirement for valuable, insightful information has not.

The complete ranking: HG HomeClub’s 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living

About HG HomeClub

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform serving homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Built on a principle of informed transparency, HG HomeClub publishes rankings, research and editorial coverage that make the standards behind its conclusions visible, so that homeowners and professionals can judge the reasoning as well as the result. More information is available at Sources: hghomeclub.com.

About ACHR NEWS

ACHR NEWS is a B2B media platform covering the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry. Founded in 1926 as Electric Refrigeration News, it serves HVACR contractors, distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, engineers and other professionals across residential, commercial and industrial markets. The publication is owned by BNP Media and reaches its audience through print, eMagazine, eNewsletters, web coverage, webinars, podcasts and video. Its recognition programs include the HVAC All-Star Awards, Top 40 Under 40, Women in HVAC, the HVAC Technician Spotlight and Distribution Trends. Learn more at achrnews.com and follow ACHR NEWS on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and Sources: YouTube.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HG HomeClub?

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform for homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Its work is built around informed transparency: the idea that readers should be able to understand the standards behind a ranking, recommendation or editorial conclusion. The platform curates useful industry information and publishes original rankings and editorial coverage designed to help decision-makers assess both the conclusion and the reasoning behind it. Its publication ranking evaluates the media organizations professionals use to operate, learn, connect and prepare for changing markets.

What is the ranking that ACHR NEWS placed fourth on?

ACHR NEWS placed No. 4 on HG HomeClub’s ranking of the 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living. The list evaluates the organizations that provide useful reporting, professional education, rankings, research, events, recognition and community connection for contractor-led businesses. It includes broad platforms as well as specialized trade authorities. ACHR NEWS earned the No. 4 position because of its longstanding HVACR authority, its multichannel reporting, its recognition programs and its utility for contractors, distributors, manufacturers, engineers and other decision-makers.

How was the ranking determined?

HG HomeClub evaluated each organization on six standards: industry influence and professional recognition; practical value to contractors and company owners; quality and depth of original content; reach among professional decision-makers; strength of rankings, research, events and recognition programs; and the ability to educate and connect the contractor community. It is not a ranking of website traffic, social-media followers, advertising volume or publication age. Longevity and circulation were considered but were not allowed to outweigh usefulness and relevance automatically. Specialized publications were judged in the context of their own markets, because deep authority within one trade can be more important to that trade’s professionals than broad but shallow coverage.

What is ACHR NEWS?

ACHR NEWS is an HVACR trade publication and digital media platform founded in 1926 as Electric Refrigeration News. Owned by BNP Media, it covers residential, commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. Its audience includes contractors, distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, engineers and other industry professionals. The platform publishes through print, eMagazine, eNewsletters, web reporting, webinars, podcasts and video. Its programming covers technical and business issues, including equipment, refrigerants, energy management, regulation, sales, marketing, management, workforce development and broader market change.

What are ACHR NEWS’ recognition programs?

ACHR NEWS runs a portfolio of programs that recognizes performance across the HVACR ecosystem. The HVAC All-Star Awards recognize people and products in residential and commercial categories, as well as podcasters, influencers, contracting businesses, industry legends and HVAC schools. The Top 40 Under 40 highlights young professionals across manufacturing, distribution, instruction and contracting. Women in HVAC showcases women making an impact in the industry, while the HVAC Technician Spotlight gives employers and peers a way to nominate technicians for recognition. Distribution Trends highlights HVACR distribution leaders.

How does ACHR NEWS connect the industry outside the magazine?

ACHR NEWS operates as more than a print publication. It provides website reporting, eMagazines, eNewsletters, webinars, podcasts and video in addition to its magazine. This allows HVACR professionals to follow time-sensitive developments while also accessing longer-form coverage and learning opportunities. The platform covers major industry gatherings such as the AHR Expo and uses digital programming to address issues including technology, sales, management, workforce development and product change. Its recognition programs also create a public forum for contractors, distributors, manufacturers, technicians and emerging leaders to see and learn from the work of peers.

Who leads ACHR NEWS’ editorial operation?

Sarah Harding serves as publisher of ACHR NEWS, and Kyle Gargaro is editorial director and associate publisher. The editorial team also includes Joanna R. Turpin, senior editor; Maria Taylor, senior managing editor; Hannah Belloli, editor; Matt Jachman, editor; Dylan Kurt, editor; and Austin Keating, SNIPS NEWS editor. The team’s structure reflects the breadth of an HVACR market that spans technical, commercial, residential, industrial, distribution, and workforce concerns.

Why does ACHR NEWS cover both contractors and the wider HVACR supply chain?

HVACR contracting does not operate independently from manufacturing, distribution, engineering, regulation, or training. Product availability, refrigerant changes, equipment design, technical support, labor readiness, and customer expectations all affect the contractor’s ability to perform profitable work. ACHR NEWS covers contractors alongside distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, engineers and related professionals because those groups collectively shape the operating environment of the HVACR company. This broader perspective gives readers context for decisions that might otherwise look isolated, such as adopting a new product line, changing service practices or responding to a regulatory transition.

Why did ACHR NEWS place at No. 4 rather than higher?

ACHR NEWS scored highly for its nearly century-long professional standing, HVACR-specific editorial depth, multichannel delivery and recognition programs that connect the contractor community with the wider industry. HG HomeClub views it as one of the most dependable and authoritative information resources in HVACR. Its structural limitation in this cross-category ranking is also the source of its strength: the platform is deeply specialized in HVACR rather than equally relevant to every trade in home improvement, home services and outdoor living. Qualified Remodeler, Roofing Contractor and Power100 occupy broader or differently structured roles. Within HVACR, ACHR NEWS remains unmatched in continuity, breadth and industry connection.