In HVACR, It’s Déjà vu All Over Again

This is a look back at the heating and cooling industry over the past 30 years, and it points to some patterns worth knowing if you're planning upgrades to your own home's system. The industry has gone through repeated refrigerant changes: CFCs and R-22 were phased out over concerns about ozone depletion, replaced by R-410A, and now newer refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B (called A2Ls) are becoming standard in new equipment. Each switch brought skepticism about cost, safety, and reliability, but the older refrigerants eventually disappeared from new equipment anyway. If your system still uses an older refrigerant, this history suggests that eventually parts and service options shrink as manufacturers move to newer standards.

The piece also notes that ductless mini-split systems, once dismissed by contractors in the 1990s as a niche option unsuitable for whole-house use, are now a common and accepted choice for heating and cooling homes. That's useful context if you're considering one for your own house: the technology has had decades to mature.

Finally, the industry continues to face a shortage of trained technicians, a problem that goes back at least to the mid-1990s. That's worth keeping in mind when scheduling repairs or installations, since availability and wait times for qualified help can be affected by ongoing workforce shortages.