From HVAC Rental to Guaranteed Performance: EUCOS Interviewed by RCI
When people think of HVAC rental, they often picture a temporary system installed to deal with an emergency, a breakdown or a spike in production. This is an important part of the industry, but it is not the only one.
In its July 2026 issue, RCI dedicated the special feature “HVAC Rental: Industry Leaders Have Their Say” to the evolution of this market, inviting contributions from some of Italy’s most active companies in the sector.
Among those interviewed was Guido Casarin, co-founder of the EUCOS Group, who brought a clear perspective to the discussion: the most significant change concerns not only technology, but the model through which HVAC solutions are made available to businesses.
“The most significant innovation concerns the business model: the shift from selling the asset to guaranteeing performance.”
HVAC is not a standardized product
An industrial HVAC system cannot be managed like a standard piece of rental equipment.
Every project must take into account the site’s operating conditions, required temperatures, necessary capacity, usage profiles, system constraints and the level of operational continuity the company needs to ensure.
These requirements are accompanied by technological, regulatory, financial and organizational considerations. Selecting the equipment is therefore only one part of the solution.
For this reason, the EUCOS model goes beyond simply providing a chiller, heat pump or other HVAC unit. It starts with the outcome the customer needs to achieve and builds a complete solution around it.
Temporary rental and HVAC-as-a-Service
Temporary rental remains an effective way to deal with emergencies, unexpected downtime, seasonal peaks or production requirements limited to a specific period.
HVAC-as-a-Service, on the other hand, addresses a structural, medium- to long-term need.
EUCOS selects the most suitable technology by comparing manufacturers and configurations, supplies the system and manages its operational continuity through maintenance, technical support and contractually defined service levels.
Rather than simply purchasing a machine, the customer receives a defined HVAC performance for a predictable monthly fee, governed by an SLA tailored to the specific project.
From system ownership to service responsibility
Under the traditional model, the customer purchases the system and retains most of the risks associated with its lifecycle, including failures, inefficiencies, obsolescence and unexpected maintenance costs.
With HVAC-as-a-Service, technical and operational responsibility for the solution is entrusted to EUCOS within the conditions defined by the Operating Envelope and the SLA. Required performance, operating conditions, maintenance activities, service procedures and response times, the responsibilities of each party, the contract term and the fee are agreed in advance and formalized in the contract.
Technical coverage and the corresponding SLA are verified for each individual site through EUCOS and the manufacturers’ network of authorized service centres. Installation, ancillary works and any required system adaptations may instead be handled by the customer’s own installer or quoted separately by EUCOS.
Technology selected around the required outcome
EUCOS’s independence from individual manufacturers allows us to start with the company’s actual requirements rather than with a product catalogue to sell.
Capacity, efficiency, reliability, compatibility with the site and the availability of technical support are assessed together. The equipment therefore becomes one of the tools required to deliver the service, rather than the centre of the commercial proposal.
The model also allows the solution to be adapted over time. At the end of the contract, the available options may include renewing the service, upgrading or resizing the system, returning the asset or purchasing it at its residual value.
The evolution of the HVAC market
Growing interest in HVAC rental and service-based solutions confirms that many companies are looking for alternatives to traditional purchasing.
The real evolution, however, does not simply consist of replacing the purchase price with a recurring fee. It means clearly defining the required outcome, assigning precise responsibilities and supporting the system with an ongoing, measurable service.
This is the shift from asset ownership to HVAC-as-a-Service.
We would like to thank RCI and Mario Arena for inviting EUCOS to contribute to this special feature on the HVAC rental market.
Do you need to ensure cooling, heating or operational continuity?
Tell us what you need: EUCOS will compare technologies, manufacturers and service levels to build a fixed-fee HVAC solution.
