COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) released its monthly TRENDS report, showing average sales for HARDI distributor members increased 4.9 percent in April 2015.

The annualized growth through April 2015 was 6.3 percent. This is the midpoint of narrow range of the past 12 months.

“The continued growth in HARDI member sales is consistent with gains in overall consumer activity,” said Danielle Marceau, senior economist, HARDI. “However, we are starting to see tentative signs that are telling us the pace may begin to slow as we head into the latter half of the year.”

“There was mid-single digit growth in five of our reporting regions,” said Brian Loftus, HARDI Market Research and Benchmarking analyst . “Growth is healthy in the Southeast and the West is showing signs of improvement.”

The Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), a measure of how quickly customers pay their bills, is now at 51.6. “DSO has peaked in April at 53.1 each of the past three years,” said Loftus. “It’s possible the regional storms experienced so far this year have delayed the pace of activity.”

HARDI members do not receive financial compensation in exchange for their monthly sales data and can discontinue their participation without prior notice or penalty. Participation is voluntary, and the depth of market coverage varies from region to region. An independent entity collects and compiles the data that can include products not directly associated with the HVACR industry.