Wake schools eyeing potential impacts of new tariffs on HVAC, construction costs

Andrew Greenland, an economist at North Carolina State University, told WRAL News the U.S. manufacturers some of these materials, such as steel domestically. But competition for domestic goods could drive up their price, he said.

“These tariffs are going to manifest pretty quickly into rising construction costs,” Greenland said. “To the extent that some of these construction projects may be undertaken by municipalities and schools or groups [with] tight budgets — they may have to think about delaying some of these projects until they get certainty about what prices are going to look like… as the construction projects take place.”