ACCA contractors are showing some concern over the future economic outlook. According to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s Contractor Comfort Index, contractor attitudes toward short-term economic growth is on the decline.

The CCI is calculated based on a survey of the association’s contractor members, who are asked how positive they feel about new business prospects, existing business activity, and expected staffing decisions in the short-term future. Weighted and averaged into one number, a CCI of 50 or above reflects anticipated growth. For July, the CCI is 64, down from 69 in June. Even with the decline, the ACCA said that the index still shows that contractors anticipate short-term growth.

“Given the unusual heat of this summer season across the country, and the fact that many of our member contractors have been extremely busy with record activity, it is interesting that their short-term economic outlook is growing more cautious,” said Kevin Holland, ACCA division vice president for business operations and membership. “The entire business community is uncertain about activities in Washington, and that may be fueling contractor concerns, as well. Since this is a new index, we will continue to monitor trends from month to month, and season to season.”

The CCI is released prior to the start of each month; the next index number will be released during the last week of August.