As Ireland accelerates toward a low-carbon, digitally connected built environment, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector stands at the centre of some of the most transformative changes the industry has ever seen. Few professionals understand these shifts better than Aidan Murray, Building Services Design Engineer at Mountain Lodge Mechanical Services in Co. Meath. With a dual background as a refrigeration electrician and a mechanical and electrical engineer, Murray brings a unique blend of practical site experience and design expertise.
In sharing this experience with Repower Regions, Murray outlines the everyday challenges shaping HVAC work, the technologies disrupting the sector, and the urgent need for coordinated, cross-functional training to prepare the industry for the future.
On any given project, Murray sees variations of the same recurring problem: designs that don’t fully align with what happens on site. Ceiling heights differ from architectural drawings, duct routes change, and assumed system clearances fail to reflect real conditions. These mismatches, he says, point to deeper gaps in how engineers are trained and how disciplines coordinate.
Another common challenge stems from systems underperforming compared to predicted values. These discrepancies often arise from optimistic assumptions made early in the design process, especially when accurate building envelope data, thermal performance values, or occupancy patterns are unavailable.
“Load calculations can be guesswork without real U-values or airtightness data,” Murray explains. The result? Revisions late in the process, resizing equipment, or rerouting ductwork’ changes that could have been avoided with better information and a stronger grounding in building physics. Technical issues also arise during commissioning. One experience stands out: a project where technicians struggled to balance the system due to insufficient training in airflow measurement and hydronic control. The design was solid; the skills gap was not.
These examples reflect a broader industry truth: Ireland has strong traditional trades, but modern HVAC demands new layers of knowledge in digital, regulatory and interdisciplinary, that not all practitioners are yet equipped for. This is something that Repower Regions is targeting through its research and the development of practical training and upskilling on decarbonisation, digital skills, and sustainable solutions forthe European workforce. This will equip professionals with the skills and knowledge to deliver clean, efficient heating and cooling by reducing emissions, boosting innovation, and supporting the energy transition, ultimately addressing urgent climate and energy challenges.
Looking ahead, Murray identifies three disruptive technologies set to redefine the HVAC landscape in the next five to ten years:
Heat Pumps and Low-Carbon Heating
High-temperature and hybrid heat pumps will dominate Ireland’s decarbonisation pathway. Their complexity, particularly in retrofit settings, requires updated skills in design, installation, refrigerant handling, and optimisation.
AI-Driven Controls and Digital Twins
Smart systems capable of learning, predicting loads, and adjusting operation autonomously are moving from concept to standard practice. Designers are already preparing for AI-supported modelling, digital twins, and advanced BMS platforms, but the workforce is not yet digitally fluent enough to exploit these tools.
“There is a training gap on the data science side,” Murray notes. HVAC professionals will increasingly need to understand how algorithms make decisions, not just how to operate the equipment.
Low-GWP and Natural Refrigerants
The transition to refrigerants such as CO₂, hydrocarbons, and ammonia, driven by EU regulation, will reshape both design and service work. Safe handling, leak detection, and material compatibility are areas where training remains inconsistent across the workforce.
These technologies introduce new complexity. Without structured upskilling, Murray warns, the industry risks falling behind its own decarbonisation goals. Across the sector, Murray sees several critical deficits limiting performance and innovation.
Building Physics Knowledge
Airtightness, thermal bridging, and moisture behaviour: these fundamental concepts are often underestimated, yet they directly determine HVAC system efficiency. Many designers rely on assumptions because real data isn’t provided early enough.
Commissioning and Verification
Newly trained designers, while strong in theory, rarely gain hands-on commissioning experience. This disconnect leads to systems that perform well on paper but struggle in operation.
Software & Digitalisation
BIM and simulation tools are widely used but often superficially. Practitioners lack confidence in scenario modelling, energy simulations, and data interpretation.
Cross-Functional Awareness
Perhaps the most striking gap lies in the silos between designers, installers, and operators. Without understanding each other’s constraints, routing, maintenance access, compliance, and performance monitoring, inefficiencies persist throughout the project lifecycle.
Murray’s own career highlights the value of hybrid skill sets: “Having both trade experience and engineering knowledge has been invaluable. The sector needs more opportunities for young engineers to be on site, and for installers to understand design intent.”
Ireland’s apprenticeship routes remain highly respected, but they are not yet aligned with the demands of clean energy and digital transformation. Murray favours hands-on training for technical mastery, supported by online courses, mentorship, and regional industry events to facilitate knowledge exchange. He highlights several areas requiring attention:
Heat pumps, heat recovery, low-GWP refrigerants, and retrofit-specific design strategies should be embedded in core curricula and not treated as optional add-ons.
BMS integration, IoT controls, predictive analytics, and AI-based optimisation must become standard competencies.
Part L, NZEB requirements, eco-design directives, and refrigerant restrictions should be essential learning for new professionals and part of regular CPD.
The industry would benefit from shared modules where designers, installers, and operators learn together, building a common vocabulary and understanding of system lifecycle performance.
Micro-credentials, blended learning, and online modules would allow workers to upskill while maintaining their careers.
Closing Ireland’s HVAC skills gap requires coordinated action across the ecosystem, and one which Repower Regions plans to close through its regional alliances with training institutions, companies and government bodies. By developing a technically strong workforce, having structured continuous professional development, better data literacy, and cross-functional collaboration, Ireland will endeavour to meet its climate and energy targets.
Aidan Murray’s reflections reveal an HVAC sector in transition, rich with skilled professionals, yet still adapting to the realities of digitalisation, sustainability, and complex retrofit environments. The next decade will demand new technologies and new mindsets: collaborative, data-driven, and deeply rooted in building performance. Ireland and Europe’s HVAC future is about where knowledge flows, and where it doesn’t. Bridging those gaps will determine whether buildings achieve the efficiency, comfort, and sustainability the EU is striving for, and which Repower Regions aims to close.