The Biggest Takeaways from the 2026 ASHRAE Annual Conference for Commercial HVAC

Colby Maun • July 6, 2026

Last week, from June 27th to July 1st, ASHRAE held its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, TX, and brought together more than 2,233 HVAC professionals from all over the world. The conference covered a broad range of many topics prevalent in the industry today, from fundamentals and applications to AI in building design and construction. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the 2026 ASHRAE Annual Conference for commercial HVAC.

The first takeaway from the conference for commercial HVAC is that decarbonization remains one of ASHRAE's largest priorities. Reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency, and creating more sustainable infrastructure are something that the conference touched on heavily during its sessions. High energy costs, lack of full unit replacement justification, and keeping costs low on projects fuel this priority, as the industry looks to make projects cheaper and easier for facility managers, mechanical contractors, and building owners. In tune with this, the refrigerant transition from R-410A to R-454B continues to be a primary industry focus. Adopting new refrigerants is only half of the challenge for industry experts, as they need to determine whether their existing rooftop units, chillers, and air handlers can continue to operate efficiently through this transition. Maximizing performance while balancing regulatory changes with existing infrastructure continues to encapsulate the commercial HVAC industry. As decarbonization strategies continue to evolve, facility managers, mechanical contractors, and building owners need to find ways to evolve with them.


Another crucial takeaway from the conference is that existing buildings are attracting much more attention from ASHRAE than new construction. ASHRAE’s new president, Sarah E. Maston, announced that her presidential theme will be Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience, which focuses on existing buildings. Conference sessions emphasized retrofitting, modernization, energy upgrades, and asset management. In today’s industry, many buildings are over 30+ years old, and at the age where maintenance work is due. With this in mind, facility managers are attempting to get as much life out of their existing infrastructure as possible. Retrofitting accomplishes this task, as it integrates new technology with old buildings to maximize system life. 

The last takeaway from the conference is the increasing impact of AI and smarter data on the industry. AI is becoming a very practical tool for identifying and solving issues within systems. Systems are using AI to analyze temperature differentials, energy consumption, performance, abnormal compressor runtime, airflow changes, and much more. This new technology is rapidly spreading into infrastructure, and helping predict failures, find and locate performance issues, and monitor system health, which assists with maintenance on commercial units. In addition, building analytics and digital building management help facility managers find problems earlier, which in turn reduces price and downtime associated with maintenance projects.


With this new industry direction set, HeatEX Technologies is positioned well to assist facility managers in adapting. As smart retrofitting continues to grow, HeatEX Technologies supplies custom coils and heat exchangers that improve energy efficiency, lifespan, and sustainability for existing systems and infrastructure. We work with facility managers to find the perfect fit for their unit with the performance metrics they desire. As smart data assists commercial facility managers with the timing of their maintenance jobs, HeatEX Technologies steps up and completes the job with low lead times and excellent customer service.

Works Cited

"ASHRAE Highlights Industry Priorities in 2026 Annual Conference Technical Program." ASHRAE, 22 May 2026, https://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2026/ashrae-highlights-industry-priorities-in-2026-annual-conference-technical-program.


"ASHRAE Annual Conference Showcases Innovation and Leadership for the Future of the Built Environment." ASHRAE, 2 July 2026, https://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2026/ashrae-annual-conference-showcases-innovation-and-leadership-for-the-future-of-the-built-environment.

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By Colby Maun • August 31, 2026
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By Colby Maun • June 29, 2026
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By Colby Maun • June 18, 2026
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