Meet Our Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Rafael Barrios: Restoring Comfort

By Caitlyn Stair, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

For Rafael Barrios, HVAC work has always been more than heating and cooling—it’s about helping people when they need it most. Whether he’s restoring a broken system or improving comfort inside a home, Rafael takes pride in solving his customers’ problems and delivering results that make a real difference in their lives.

Rafael was first introduced to the HVAC world in the early 2000s while he was working in the restaurant industry. His brother was working in the HVAC field at the time, and Rafael would often be invited to help on different jobs. Through this work, he discovered the instant satisfaction that stemmed from solving problems and seeing results. “I just fell in love with the trade,” he recalls. “It felt really good to finish a job and see the end result, especially when we were able to get a broken system up and running.”

Rafael also fell in love with installations, transforming old and deteriorated HVAC equipment into systems that worked flawlessly. “Some systems are really tough to work on, but after all that effort, you feel so much satisfaction seeing the machine running and knowing you made a miracle happen. Once I realized I was getting excited by making customers happy, I knew I had found my lifelong career.”

In 2023, Rafael and his two brothers decided to turn their experience into their own business, Airstars Corp. Today, he says his favorite part of the job is being able to quickly help people who are in urgent need. “Sometimes we help elderly people or families with young children who really need their heat or air fixed. When I get to balance the air in a home so it feels more comfortable for everyone inside, it makes me feel really good.”

A Bay Area resident for over two decades, Rafael currently lives in Hayward with his wife, Alexandra, and their two children, Dulce and Mia. With Hayward’s central location and easy access to the rest of the Bay Area, the city has quickly became a place that he’s proud to call home. “We’re in the center of everything,” he says. “San Jose and San Francisco are just 40 minutes away, so you have shopping, restaurants, beaches and even forests if you want to get out into nature. It’s really convenient.”

Outside of work, Rafael is passionate about plant-based medicine and meditation, which allow him to look deeper into the various aspects of life. “I try to understand what humans are doing here on this planet,” he offers. “I think we’re inside of a school that teaches us the meaning of being human is learning to love and realizing we’re all one.”

Rafael says if he could retire tomorrow, he would travel the world and continue seeking the true meaning of life. “I’ve been called to philanthropy, so I think I’ll spend my life traveling around the globe and visiting forests. At the end of the day, I don’t think I’m taking anything with me, so I want to spread myself out before I die.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
A: Take a shower in the rain.

Q: What are some of the strangest foods you’ve ever eaten?
A: One time, I ate an African dish where you dip a tortilla in soup. Another weird food I tried was grilled “Anticuchos de Corazón,” which is the heart of a cow. It was actually really good.

Q: Do you have any superstitions?
A: No. I actually don’t have any beliefs because I think they limit us from learning the magnitude of the creatures we are. 

Q: What are your favorite holidays?
A: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I feel cozy during those days. The smell of the food and the Christmas lights make me feel happy.

Q: If you could talk to anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
A: Jesus. I’ve felt his presence and it showed me that humans can go far beyond what we think.