For generations, construction has happened almost entirely on site: excavating, pouring, framing, and running conduit piece by piece, at the mercy of weather and whoever is available to do the work. But with a deep labor shortage and projects now measured in gigawatts and billions of dollars, a growing push toward industrialization is asking a different question: what if you could manufacture a building’s foundation in a factory? Today, Charlie and Dan speak with Andy Stapleton, Vice President of Project Development at Mortenson. He unpacks how manufacturing nearly every building component offsite, paired with automation inside the finished facilities, can help U.S. projects move faster and compete globally.

Andy talks about why owners should fall in love with their budget instead of their design, why you can’t back into prefabrication if a builder isn’t involved from day one, and how field-born ideas make jobs faster and safer. He also shares why safety comes first at Mortenson, with the goal that every person goes home in better condition than they showed up. Plus, he looks ahead to how shared ‘manufacturing colos’ could reshape what gets built next.

We also have:

• HVAC Headlines: The Heat Pump Cliff That Wasn’t, Uncle Sam left. Heat pump buyers stayed. Plus: Sam Jones wins WorldSkills gold - Cooling Post.
• Stat of the Day: What a mega project cost in 2016 vs. 2026

Ads mentioned in this episode:

• Trane Cloud
• Trane® Agility® Twinplex™ Magnetic Bearing Centrifugal Chillers

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too!

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

For over a century, heavy machinery has run on hydraulics: fluid-filled systems that leak, wear out, and slow down over time. But a new belt-driven actuator technology inspired by human muscle movement is offering a fluid-free alternative that outperforms hydraulics in speed, efficiency, and durability. Today, Charlie and Dan speak with Hiten Sonpal, CEO of RISE Robotics and a 20-year robotics veteran whose background includes leading bomb-disposal robot programs at iRobot and building the company’s two-billion-dollar consumer robotics business, to unpack how his team is replacing hydraulic cylinders with this technology.

Hiten explains why hydraulic systems are inherently limited by the fluid they depend on, why belts modeled on human muscle movement can outperform hydraulics, and why he believes predictive, sensor-driven maintenance is the more urgent shift happening in heavy equipment right now.

We also have:

• HVAC Headlines: The 1980s: The Decade That Changed HVACR Forever | ACHR News, with the five most transformative pieces that came out of the era. Plus: Trump emergency order casts uncertainty over grid… | Canary Media.
• Stat of the Day: Hydraulics over time, from ancient innovations to the digital age.

Ads mentioned in this episode:

• Trane’s Latest HVAC Innovations
• IntelliPak 1 Heat Pumps

Connect with Hiten:

• Website: https://www.riserobotics.com/ 
• Email: [email protected] 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too!

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

From submarines to servers, today’s guest is Adrian Hilderbrand, a former nuclear electrician’s mate who breaks down how the skills that kept a nuclear reactor cool translate directly to keeping hyperscale data centers running. Now a principal technical program manager at Eaton, Adrian shares why he thinks small modular reactors are the next big leap for both data centers and local communities. 

This conversation also covers the new joint reference design from Eaton, Trane, and NVIDIA, a modular, factory-built approach to gigawatt-scale data center infrastructure that’s built like LEGO bricks and shipped ready to bolt together on site.  

We also have: 

• HVAC Headlines: Cyber attacker targets refrigeration plant in Israel using remote access software, disguised as a Microsoft update. Plus: data centers are being damaged by AI’s volatile power demand. 
• Stat of the Day: Just how much cooling capacity Navy submarines have on board to cool the crew, weapons systems, and onboard data systems. 

Products mentioned in this episode: 

• Trane TRACE™ HVAC Design Software 
• Series R® Helical Rotary Screw Chillers 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too! 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

U.S. electricity demand just rose for the first time in over two decades, and the data behind that shift is reshaping how HVAC engineers, contractors, and manufacturers need to think about energy planning. Today, Charlie and Dan speak with Lisa Jacobson, a 20-year energy policy veteran who has testified before Congress and represented the U.S. in U.N. climate talks, to unpack the 2026 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. This annual data-driven snapshot of the U.S. energy landscape is produced by BCSE and BloombergNEF. 

Lisa shares her thoughts on what’s driving the surge in demand, why data centers are only part of the story, and why she believes energy efficiency and flexible demand may be the fastest, most underused resource the industry has.  

We also have: 

• HVAC Headlines: An AC shade to block sunlight without limiting airflow. Plus: the heated debate in Europe over air conditioning. 
• Stat of the Day: How many Americans are spending their personal budget on energy, even though electricity prices have gone up. 

Resources mentioned: 

• Download the 2026 Factbook here: https://bcse.org/market-trends/  
• Business Council for Sustainable Energy: https://bcse.org/  

Ads mentioned: 

• Trane Building Brilliance 
• Trane Engineer Newsletters 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too! 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Your favorite Midwestern duo is back in the studio!

Charlie and Dan are cranking Season 5 of Cool Air, Hot Takes into high gear, and there’s a lot to unpack. Energy, data centers, and other game-changers for the engineers and industry pros running these systems – to name a few.

You’ll hear from industry insiders who’ll finally tell you where all those stats everyone loves to quote actually come from, plus engineers who traded nuclear reactors for server farms and lived to tell the tale. You’ll also get the inside scoop on a new modular system about to shake up data center infrastructure. 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too!

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

While our team is cooking up Season 5, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from past seasons.

Today, Ali Heydari, Director of Data Center Cooling and Infrastructure at NVIDIA, joins hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry to unpack how AI “factories” are reshaping data center design and why Ali thinks the AI revolution is the biggest change to the our lives since the industrial revolution. Ali explains why geometry (not thermodynamics) pushed the move from air to liquid, why NVIDIA standardized on PG25 for direct-to-chip cooling, and how digital twins in Nvidia’s Omniverse help right-size everything from chillers to dry coolers. We also dig into the tradeoffs between higher loop temps and rack density, and why cross-industry collaboration matters more than ever.

We also have:

• HVAC Headlines: Why Legionella is a serious risk of poorly maintained HVAC equipment and how to avoid it, plus, why prices are soaring in the country’s largest grid region.
• Stat of the Day: Can you guess which states lost the most power in 2024?

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and follow too!

Take our survey: We love making Cool Air, Hot Takes™, but we want to make sure you love listening to it. Head to podpolls.com/hottakes, fill out our quick listener survey, and give us your hottest takes about the show. 

Cool Air, Hot Takes is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

While our team is cooking up Season 5, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from past seasons.

Industrial heat accounts for approximately a quarter of global energy consumption, says Ruth Checknoff, today’s guest, and is the key to hitting climate targets. 

Today on Cool Air, Hot Takes, Dan and Charlie welcome Ruth Checknoff, Senior Project & Research Director at the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, to talk about the hot (literally) challenge of decarbonizing industrial thermal processes. From whiskey distilleries in Scotland to policies in Pennsylvania, New York and Colorado, Ruth walks us through the tech, the trends, and the temperature thresholds behind industrial heat pumps, thermal batteries, and more.

Plus, we have:

• HVAC Headlines: Why Charlie loves the demand control ventilation at Disney and the wild world of copper theft and HVAC units.
• Listener Mailbag: Air source boilers and nuclear power’s comeback.
• Stat of the Day: Which states are building America? 

We want your hot takes and questions! You can email us at [email protected], leave us a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or review us on Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and follow too!

Take our survey: We love making Cool Air, Hot Takes™, but we want to make sure you love listening to it. Head to podpolls.com/hottakes, fill out our quick listener survey, and give us your hottest takes about the show. 

Cool Air, Hot Takes is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing technology in HVAC and energy management.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

While our team is cooking up Season 5, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite episodes from past seasons. 

Is AI really the future of HVAC, or just industry hype?

In this episode of Cool Air, Hot Takes, hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry talk with Jean-Simon Venne, CTO and co-founder of BrainBox AI, about how artificial intelligence is reshaping HVAC systems. They explore real-world ways AI boosts energy efficiency, enhances preventative maintenance, improves indoor air quality, and helps buildings reduce their carbon footprint.

We also discuss:

• HVAC Headlines: Boston announces new net-zero emissions requirements, mandating that most large buildings achieve net-zero carbon from day one starting in 2025.
• AI & HVAC: What’s actually achievable when buildings embrace AI and the future of HVAC careers in an AI-driven world
• Stat of the Day: Dubai’s Business Bay District chilled water plant - how much cooling do you think it delivers?

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to take our listener survey at podpolls.com/hottakes and rate and follow too! 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Take our survey: We love making Cool Air, Hot Takes™, but we want to make sure you love listening to it. Head to podpolls.com/hottakes, fill out our quick listener survey, and give us your hottest takes about the show. 

Today on Cool Air, Hot Takes™, hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry sit down with Frank Kohout, a 35-year HVAC engineer veteran who spent a big chunk of his career at McDonald's Global. If you've ever walked into a McDonald's and not sweated through your shirt, Frank probably had something to do with it. He walks us through what restaurant HVAC actually involves, why air balance is everything, and what happens when you get it wrong.  

We also have: 

• Hot Takes: Randy from Chicago is back with another refrigerant.  
• HVAC Headlines: The EPA removes the 410A installation deadline. A Portsmouth courthouse goes down again due to HVAC failure. Plus: Denver's plan to heat and cool downtown buildings using sewage.  
• Stat of the Day: The world's largest fast food chains by revenue. 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to take our listener survey at podpolls.com/hottakes and rate and follow too! 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Take our survey: We love making Cool Air, Hot Takes™, but we want to make sure you love listening to it. Head to podpolls.com/hottakes, fill out our quick listener survey, and give us your hottest takes about the show.  

Today on Cool Air, Hot Takes™, hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry sit down with Angie Simon, mechanical engineer, former president of a $125 million mechanical contractor, SMACNA President, and now co-founder of Heavy Metal Summer Experience. Instead of taking it easy in her “retirement”, she's getting kids off the couch, putting a torch in their hands, and showing them what a career in the trades looks like at Heavy Metal Summer Experience. Angie walks us through how it started, and what kids gain from the experience.  

We also have: 

• Hot Takes: Is opposition to data centers modern-day Luddism, and is air-cooled everything the new normal? 
• HVAC Headlines: A new hospital in Newfoundland just became home to Canada's largest geothermal system. Plus: the rollback of a Biden-era rule that tied FHA and USDA-backed mortgages to 2021 energy code compliance, reportedly adding up to $31,000 to the cost of a new home. 
• Stat of the Day: A look at the top and bottom 10 bachelor's degrees by early career salary — and where a trades career stacks up against all of them. 

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too! 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Today on Cool Air, Hot Takes™, hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry celebrate a milestone: Trane's Graduate Training Program turns 100. Kris Gagermeier, Trane’s Director, Technical Training Center of Excellence joins to walk through the program's origins, how it's evolved over a century, and where AI fits into the next chapter of HVAC workforce development, including what it takes to get through 14 weeks in La Crosse. 

We also have: 

• HVAC Headlines: Repair revenue is eating a bigger slice of mechanical contractors' business — up from 21% to 31% since 2021, with more jobs, higher ticket sizes, and lower costs. Plus: Bill Gates-backed TerraPower is breaking ground on a 500 MW sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in Wyoming, targeting 2030. 
• Stat of the Day: Dan mulches it over and shares some surprising landscaping industry stats.  

We want your hot takes and questions! Email [email protected], drop a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and follow too!

Take our survey: We love making Cool Air, Hot Takes™, but we want to make sure you love listening to it. Head to podpolls.com/hottakes, fill out our quick listener survey, and give us your hottest takes about the show. 

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing tech in HVAC, energy, and the built environment. Learn more at trane.com/coolairhottakes. 

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.