What’s the real story behind AC refrigerants? Why are some being phased out, others destroyed, and what does it mean for the HVAC industry?

In this episode of Cool Air, Hot Takes, Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry sit down with Ray Rieling from Tradewater to talk about refrigerants - the good, the bad, and the banned. From legacy refrigerants like R-22 to the controversial future of HFC refrigerant destruction, they break down the impact on climate control, system design, and HVAC sustainability. Plus, the team hears your refrigeRANTS - should we get rid of them entirely? Should we bring R-22 back? And what’s the deal with New York’s aggressive refrigerant phase-out?

Cool Air, Hot Takes is a Trane podcast that breaks down the biggest innovations in HVAC, energy, and building technology with bold opinions, and lots of hot takes.

In this episode, we cover:

• HVAC Headlines: A refrigerant Ponzi scheme in St Louis and how DeepSeek AI is raising questions around the future of data center energy demand.
• Why refrigerant destruction matters and how it affects HVAC pros
• How refrigerants are phased out and what comes next
• The biggest challenges in refrigerant recovery, reclamation, and disposal
• The refrigerants still sitting in old systems - ticking time bombs or just good inventory?
• The push for ultra-low GWP refrigerants and what’s really viable

Got a hot take, question or rant? Send them to CoolAir.HotTakes@Trane.com and check out the show page here.

Follow and stream all episodes now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.