Honoring HVAC Experts
Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric Celebrates HVAC Team for Essential Comfort on National Technician Day
Anonymous
Every June 22, the U.S. marks National HVAC Technician Day — a tribute to the workers who keep homes cool in brutal summer heat. This year, Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric, a Dallas-Fort Worth company with roughly 130 service trucks, used the occasion to publicly honor its technical team and highlight a field facing a shortage of 110,000 workers nationwide, according to PR Newswire.
The timing was pointed. Peak summer cooling demand is here, and the industry's labor gap is widening fast. The U.S. HVAC market is projected to hit $165 billion in 2026, yet the workforce is shrinking. About 25,000 technicians leave the field each year due to retirement or burnout, according to Workyard.
From a Garage in Rockwall to 130 Trucks
Brad Bacon started in the plumbing trade as a helper in 1992. By 2011, he launched Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric out of his garage in Rockwall, Texas. After joining the Nexstar Network in 2018, the company shifted away from new home construction and into high-volume service work. Today it is on track to generate $40 million in revenue, according to Nexstar Network.
The company's June 22 celebration was more than a feel-good moment. Bruce Brookins, the company's Director of Marketing, called its technicians the "backbone of summer operations." Technician Koyt Rowan praised the trade for its "stability and growth potential." Colleague Edwin Diaz said technicians want "the best for customers" and aim to be fully honest about what repairs will accomplish, according to PR Newswire.
A 110,000-Worker Shortage Hits at the Worst Time
The HVAC industry is short 110,000 technicians right now, according to Workyard. More than half of the current workforce is over age 45. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 42,500 new HVAC job openings every year through 2034. Trade school enrollment is up 29% year-over-year, but experts warn the pipeline is still too slow.
Scott Pierson, VP of HVAC at Parts Town, says technicians face "unprecedented pressure" during peak cooling months. Smaller shops often force workers to run "around the clock" in summer, which drives even more people out of the trade, according to Plumbing & Mechanical. Companies like Bacon Plumbing are betting that a people-first culture can slow that attrition.
New Technology Is Changing the Job Overnight
The job itself is getting harder. The federal government is pushing heat pump adoption across the country. New A2L refrigerants — a class of mildly flammable coolants — now require special safety training that did not exist three years ago. Technicians who have not kept up face real gaps in what they can legally and safely do on the job, according to industry analysts cited by ACHR News.
Howard Weiss, President of the ESCO Institute, says the industry is now at the center of two massive shifts: the rise of data centers and the push to electrify everything. Doug Smiley of Lennox Residential HVAC warns of a second crisis behind the worker shortage — an instructor shortage. There simply are not enough experienced trainers to teach new hires real-world skills, according to ACHR News.
Why HVAC Is One of the Few AI-Proof Careers Left
Analysts increasingly call HVAC one of the safest careers from AI disruption. Physical installation and complex troubleshooting cannot be automated. A full HVAC unit replacement now costs homeowners between $9,000 and $16,500 on average in 2026, according to BDR. That price tag reflects both rising equipment costs and the scarcity of skilled hands to do the work.
Still, some financial analysts caution against pure optimism. While trade enrollment is surging, the median HVAC salary sits around $59,000. Critics warn the industry could see wage stagnation if too many new workers flood the market — a pattern seen before in software coding bootcamps. For now though, with 110,000 open slots and summer in full swing, that problem feels far away.
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