Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2026

News Magazine January 2026

FEATURE STORY

systems when workmanship cheapens across the board, in part accelerated by the pursuit of profit (or debt repayment) over best practices, things start to look bleak. I think this is the part where a hooded ghost that doesn't talk points at a tombstone with something like a gauge manifold on it. That's a bit melodramatic, but there is indeed a grave consequence to workmanship and education taking a backseat to sales. In recent years, we've seen more HVAC businesses get bought out by private equity firms. In fact, it's such a well known issue in the industry that Forbes reported on it last year. These buyouts often cause those firms to go into debt in the short term while they hold out for greater long-term profits — how do they pay off that debt quicker? Raising prices, pushing sales over repairs, and cutting corners. And why invest in the technicians' training when it comes with an upfront cost? Why teach them to repair when a replacement is much more lucrative? Those moves only accelerate the race to the bottom in terms of education, skill, and craftsmanship. When technicians don't have a company that's willing to invest in their training, they don't have a chance at doing their jobs well. Sure, some technicians could take it upon themselves to find those resources properly. But The Ghost of HVAC Yet to Come Private Equity Buyouts

themselves, but therein lies another rising problem...

Reading Interruption:

Did He nail this right or what?

Sorry — Read On

Dependency on Tech and AI

AI has become a huge part of the industry within the last couple of years, and it has many good uses. AI is great at detecting patterns, so it's great when we apply it to commercial controls and manage runtimes for energy efficiency, assist with troubleshooting, and more. On the business side, it can help organize information and automate drumbeat tasks, to some extent, which gives us more time to do the tasks that make a difference (and that we enjoy). However, it is NOT good at teaching hands-on skills or solving very specific, niche problems — and many people use it to get quick and easy answers or solutions. How can you expect to learn how to dial in superheat with pressure probes by reading an amalgamation of text from a mix of free educational resources, forums, and who knows where else? How are you supposed to learn how to troubleshoot a commercial system with advanced controls — which are often highly customized and for which there is very little publicly available literature — by asking ChatGPT to spit out an answer?