In the Air - HRAI Industry News

Abhilash Kantamneni, Director of Government Relations, HRAI 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” With Canada coming off a quarterfinal win over Czechia at the Olympics at the time of writing, hockey is clearly on my mind. 

I used that analogy last month in Ottawa at Canada Home Builder’s Association (CHBA)’s Net-Zero Renovations Bootcamp 2.0, where I spoke about HVACR industry perspectives on home retrofits. 

For many of our members, net-zero renovations feel like that fast-moving puck. 

So at HRAI, our role is threefold. 

First, our HVACR members need confidence about where the puck is actually going. Policy signals matter. Code trajectories matter. Utility program design matters. Before contractors reposition their businesses, invest in training, or change equipment strategies, they need clarity. Alignment and predictability reduce risk and unlock investment in workforce, processes, systems, business models, and inventory. Our role is to help bring this clarity to our members. 

Second, our members already know how to skate. Many HVACR contractors have been skating for three generations. They understand comfort, airflow, combustion, refrigeration cycles, and controls. They don’t need to be taught the fundamentals. 

What they need is ice time - with others. 

Our HVACR members need opportunities to work alongside renovators, electricians, envelope specialists, utilities, and program designers on real cutting-edge projects. Net-zero renovations are a team sport. Contractors learn by doing: commissioning systems in tighter homes, integrating heat-pumps with upgraded panels, balancing loads, and solving problems in real time. Our role at HRAI is to help create more time on the ice for our members - and make sure they have a strong team to play with. 

Third, even great players struggle on bad ice. An unstable or fragmented policy environment creates bumps that make it harder to build confidence, invest in equipment, or train apprentices. Shifting incentives, stop-and-start programs, and regulatory uncertainty create the kind of bad ice that makes it hard even for the best players to skate.  

Our role at HRAI is simple: advocate for a stable, coordinated policy environment that lets contractors do what they do best. 

By the time you’re reading this, with any luck, Team Canada will have taken home gold at the men’s hockey at the Olympics. Good teams win when they know where the puck is headed, practice together, and play on good ice.  

Net-zero renovations will scale and become mainstream in the same way.