America's new millionaire class: Plumbers and HVAC entrepreneurs

My theory behind the big private equity play behind buying up all the HVAC companies is that some smart people on wall street realized that R22 refrigerant was banned, and basically any system using R22 that was installed before 2010 will have to be replaced in the coming years because you can’t find the refrigerant needed to charge your system.

I think you'll be able to buy R22 for at least another 6 (and probably another 11+) years, at which point that system will be 20 (or 25+) years old and replacing it won't be viewed as out of the ordinary, nor provide a particular bonanza of income/profits to HVAC companies.