Most HVAC shops are staring at a retirement cliff. One Georgia contractor refused to wait for résumés that never came — and today his average technician is just 26.
The AI era is turning data center cooling into a high-stakes water-energy negotiation, where evaporative efficiency, air-cooled resilience, and site-specific regulations collide — and where mechanical contractors are expected to keep systems clean, compliant, and maintainable from startup onward.
With A2L refrigerants now making up 91% of central ducted unit sales, HARDI says the transition is effectively complete — and all eyes are on EPA to fix installation deadline risks for remaining R-410A stock.
Data centers and building electrification are increasing the demands on the electrical grid, but new technology, innovation, grid flexibility, and renewables each have a role to play in meeting that demand.
In a market flooded with capital and short on opportunities, a broker breaks down the traits that separate well-prepared HVAC buyers from those who are simply shopping for “any business.”