In this solo podcast episode, Derek Cole of Simmons One Hour Heating and Air warns homeowners about several 2026 HVAC industry shifts that directly affect comfort, cost, and system longevity. He explains that equipment, parts, and material prices have risen, driven in part by the industry’s transition to low‑global‑warming‑potential A2L refrigerants such as R454B and R32, which increase system costs and introduce new compatibility requirements. Cole describes the typical 10‑12‑year wear cycle of modern units, noting that thinner copper and aluminum components mean newer systems are unlikely to last the 25‑year lifespans of older models. He stresses that professional installation is essential; cutting corners may save money upfront but leads to higher long‑term expenses and warranty risks. The episode also highlights a growing focus on indoor air quality post‑COVID, emphasizing the health impact of tight, energy‑efficient homes that trap off‑gassing pollutants, and the critical role of regular filter changes and advanced air‑cleaning solutions. Finally, Cole urges proactive preseason maintenance, promoting an $88 Super AC tune‑up that checks drains, filters, and overall performance before the summer heat forces urgent, costly decisions.
Chapters
Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Derek Cole with Simmons One Hour Heating and Air, and today let's talk about what's going on with the HVAC industry in 2026. There's been a lot happening because you're a homeowner. This isn't just background noise. This stuff is going to affect your home this year, your comfort, your cost, and how your system holds up when the heat shows up, which is coming very, very soon. Most people don't think about HVAC until it stops working, and hey, that's normal. You don't do it every day like we do. We obsess about it, we think about it. I was meeting with the techs at our weekly meeting and You know, we're talking about air filters and how important that is to the homeowner. And, and I was like, you know, just understand, this isn't— we're in it every day, we see it all the time. But for the average homeowner, air filters is not the top priority. So it takes a little bit of explaining the importance of the air filter, the importance of changing the air filter, and what it means for them their health, their indoor air quality, their energy bills. All that needs to be explained to the homeowner. But to get back on subject, uh, 2026 is a little bit different. There are a few things happening all at once, and they're kind of stacking together. And this is how you should be thinking about your system. Prices have already moved, okay? Equipment is up, parts are up, materials are up. So if you've been thinking about, we'll just wait another year, we'll wait until it breaks, just understand that decision just got more expensive. It's here. New systems are moving to what they call A2L refrigerants, uh, depending on the manufacturer, could be R454B, B, could be R32, but either way, those refrigerants are lower on the global warming potential scale, uh, so they're moving to these refrigerants. And what that means is everything's higher, everything costs more. If you have an R-410A system or R-22 system, you still run the unit, you can still run the systems Uh, but just know new systems have new refrigerants and new requirements, and that old refrigerant is not going to be compatible with the new stuff. Here's what you can call the 12-year reality, and this is something I've seen over the years, but right around the 10-12 year mark, systems just don't break once, they start wearing out. You fix one thing, then something else happens. Uh, you fix a refrigerant leak and then a motor goes out. You fix a motor and then you have an air leak. That's not bad luck. The system is just reaching its end of the run, its end of life. Okay, it's nothing that's abnormal. Uh, systems aren't built like they used to be built. I was with a gentleman one day and Um, we're talking about his 25-year-old unit. I was like, yeah, um, it's 25 years old, we're looking at a replacement. He's like, yeah, I hope this new one lasts 25 years. I'm like, it's not gonna happen, man. He said, really? I said, really. I said, these systems today are not built to last 25 years. Now they can make a unit that lasts that long. Obviously we have proven science on how that works, but with the copper and aluminum and everything was thick back then, right? More energy efficient than it used to be. So it's very thin copper, very thin aluminum. That is not going to last 25 years. It's not built to last that long. The problem is that material is so— was so thick back then. If you made a unit today on what was made by them, that would be a really expensive unit. They're already expensive, but that would be a really expensive unit, and you wouldn't pay for it. You would opt out for something more efficient, not as expensive, and therefore that system that was made to last 25 years they'll stop making it because you're not buying it because it's too expensive. So there's always a give and take with what the supply and demand is, right? My customers— customers want to be efficient. Heck, as a homeowner, as a homeowner, I want to be efficient. We want to be as efficient as we can be for the lowest cost to get there. Now obviously there is a factor in— it's not a box you plug into the wall. You get it from Home Depot, you get it from Lowe's, and you move it in, you plug it in. That's not the same thing. HVAC is a different piece of appliance. It has to be professionally installed, professionally done by manufacturer specs. To what's required for the system in your home. That takes a professional. So the whole— it's a whole different ball game with getting it done cheap and getting it done right. Uh, it's more expensive to get it done twice than it is to get it done right the first time. So all the costs add up, and yes, it is more expensive to get it done by a professional, and you can go online and get a unit a lot cheaper, but who's going to sell it? Who's going to stand behind it? Who's going to professionally make sure— the most important day in the life of a new system is the day it's installed. Who's going to make sure it's installed correctly? That is the difference between a professional and just having it done. A professional— and I know a guy— a professional and getting it done for the cheapest cost. But cheap is always going to be more expensive down the road. Customers always want 3 things, right? They want the best product, the best service, at the cheapest price. I've never seen where you can get all those done at one time. And if you want to look at this in life, look at businesses. Look at, uh, Chick-fil-A. You know, they would arguably have the best chicken sandwich, the best customer service. Are they the cheapest? No. Look at Walmart. If you want to get things at a good price at Walmart, you go to Walmart. You don't go to the convenience store to get milk. You go to Walmart and get milk. But wait a minute, Derek, I go to convenience store to get milk sometimes. It's more expensive, isn't it? Because it says convenient. You don't want to go into Walmart. You don't want to park. You don't want to walk all the way into Walmart to the back of the store. Get a carton of milk, go to the front, check out, go to your car. No, you want to go to the convenience store and get it because that's all you need. So there is a price for convenience and there is a price for cheaper. What price are you willing to pay? Another shift I've seen is indoor air quality. People are starting, especially after COVID, People are starting to care about their indoor air. Studies show we spend 90% of our time indoors. Indoor air is 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air. How's that possible? How's that going to happen? Well, go back to energy efficiency. We are made— we have made our homes so efficient that it cannot breathe. A home 30, 40 years ago was not energy efficient, energy conscious. The house could breathe, the air could go through. That is not the reality of today's homes. Today's homes are closed, they are efficient, they are tight. You have all this stuff off-gassing with carpet and laminate and wood and glue and paints, thinners, all the stuff in your home is off-gassing. It has nowhere to go but your lungs. If it was going outside, that would— Mother Nature, right, would handle it with UV, with ozone. That would be handled. That cannot happen in your home unless you make it happen. And the only way to make it happen is indoor air quality. Indoor air quality is very important for your health, your family's health, the air you breathe. So go back to what I said at the beginning. Yes, it starts with the air filter, but that's step one. That's the basics. That's to get into the game. Step one, change and check your filter. That is step one. But if we're talking about air cleaning and direct quality, now we're getting to something a little deeper. Now we're getting something— we're getting just— now we're getting to something that's more healthy. What smart homeowners are doing, they're running their systems early before the heat sets in, checking early to make sure it is performing the way it should perform. They're checking it now and not the first 95-degree day. They're checking it now and not the first 95-degree day when decisions are being forced on them because of the environment. They're checking it now where the urgency isn't so high. And you're not the only one thinking this way. So far we have done over 70 $88 Super AC tune-ups. Get on the list. People are getting ahead of the heat instead of waiting on it. Right now we're offering the $88 Super AC tune-up right now. We'll go through your system, check the drain line, inspect everything, give you a clear picture of where things stand. No guesswork, no surprises, just a plan. If you've been thinking about it, now is the time to go ahead and get it handled before the real heat shows up and then you're forced into a decision because it is 95°, it is June, it is July, you cannot breathe outside, you cannot breathe in your home. Hey, I appreciate you being here. We'll keep bringing you actually what's happening inside homes so you stay ahead, stay comfortable, and make the right call for you and your family. Talk soon. Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole.
