An industry type who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being has been in touch with me regarding a series of stories on some ways to deal with difficult issues facing the industry.

His ideas are head scratchers and challenging, but by just quoting a bit of what he has written so far will give you an idea of the interesting days ahead.

Regarding costs of refrigerants: “The real issue is supply and demand; real and imposed. The supply and demand issues arise from two primary elements - imposed restrictions and global capacity.”

Regarding HFCs getting caught up in global warming concerns: “The limitation of global warming gases is not well served by regulating fluorochemicals. What is needed is not the creation of an artificial monopoly on HFCs. The consumer is better served by an alternative approach that maintains an open market, and a means to encourage alternative products, such as a consumer tax rebate for purchase of a hydrocarbon-based system, or a GWP-based rebate where systems using low GWP gases have incentives attached.”

He raised several other points, and at this juncture, I’m trying to envision how some of these topics might be developed in the near future. The free market and the regulated government sector are going to have their say. But if there are more ways to look at these issues of concern to contractors, then I am all for it.