The HVAC Job Description and Education

The HVAC tech can work as an independent contractor or they can work for a heating and cooling company. Working in this field you will first need to have enrolled in an accredited certificate program or you can choose to obtain your associate’s degree. After you have completed your education you will need to find an apprenticeship program where you will work observing and carrying out delegated tasks under the supervision of licensed techs. The apprenticeship will have the duration of two to four years, depending on the level of your education. When working as an apprentice you can expect a compensation that is half of what a licensed tech will earn.  

You can find these programs available through heating and cooling schools, technical schools, vocational schools, junior colleges and online universities.

Once an apprenticeship has been completed you will need to take the state licensing exam for this field in order to earn state recognized certification.

On the job the tech will be responsible for ensuring the installation has been completed in compliance with local and state regulations and they will need to have a quality control member of the team inspect the new system for errors. Maintenance on existing systems will require you to ensure that each section of the overall system is functioning properly and efficiently.

How to Increase your HVAC Salary with Education or Position Advancement

In order to make a higher annual salary in this field you can enroll in an accredited refrigerant course or you can obtain your associate’s degree in applied science.  Some techs will choose to work as sales associates once they have obtained one to two years of field experience. As an HVAC sales associate you can increase your salary based on how many sales you’ll make in the field, what your percentage of commission is and what your hourly rate is for the individual company you work for.

Working as a project manager will require a minimum of four years of experience working as a certified tech, in addition to having obtained your associate’s degree and completed a four year apprenticeship. The project manager is the highest earning profession in this field and the position is highly competitive. Typically a company will choose to hire within for this type of supervisory role.

The HVAC Role and Responsibilities

In the HVAC career you will work on heating and cooling systems which can be found in residential, industrial and commercial places.  The tech will work on maintaining and installing new systems, repairing electrical circuits, diagnosing problems within a system, recharging cooling systems, replacing compressor parts, installing furnaces, boilers and air conditioners and installing tubing systems.

A tech can choose to specialize in a particular area such as maintenance, design or installation.  Some techs can also choose to work as a sales associate, which will require the same type of training as the tech. Another position available is that of the quality control tech, who works by randomly testing systems and locating defective components. In order to work as a project manager in this field you will need to have three to five years of experience and hold an associate’s degree in applied science in addition to a four year apprenticeship.

The HVAC Technician Certification and Career Opportunities

Not all states will require the HVAC technician to have obtained certification; however, the majority of employers will prefer to hire a tech that has completed a formal training program in addition to a two to four year apprenticeship.

Working as an apprentice will provide the tech with the skills and development of their techniques they’ll need in order to work in this field. The compensation received when working as an apprentice will commonly be half of what a certified technician will make.

After an apprenticeship has been completed the tech will need to take the state licensing exam in order to obtain their licensure as an HVAC technician.

Some states will require the tech to take additional certifications for the refrigerant certification, while other states will include this type of certification in the basic HVAC program.

Currently 25% of HVAC technicians are self-employed. To work in this field independently the tech will need to have a minimum of five years of experience, own their own vehicle and equipment and have a significant amount of accounts in order to earn a decent salary. This type of business can be highly competitive, depending on the state in which the tech lives.

States such as California, Florida, New York, Colorado and Alaska offer the highest paying positions in this field, while such states as Alabama, Ohio and Utah offer the lower salary for this profession.

How Online HVAC Programs Work

Accredited online HVAC training programs can consist of six months to two years and will require a minimum of 2,000 hours working as an apprentice in the field. You can find online programs at technical schools, vocational schools, community colleges and online universities. These schools can offer free programs, grants for the HVAC profession or financial aid to those low income students that will qualify.  

During the online program the student will need to complete each section of the course in sixty days or less. For those students that need an extension of one month they will need to pay the school an additional fee.

The student will be able to log onto the schools website where they can access the HVAC course syllabus and assignments. In these programs the student will watch recorded demonstrations, webinars and can attend live lectures via webcam. Should the student be unable to attend a live lecture or class they can watch the recording. The student will receive some of the study materials and textbooks through the mail and will be required to take end of section exams online as open book tests.

When attending an in-class program the school will provide placement assistance for the apprenticeship whereas the online programs do not and will require the student to apply for these positions on their own. In order to acquire an apprenticeship within a union you will either need to have obtained your associate’s degree in applied science or have the written recommendation of a current union member.

The Cost of the HVAC Education and Free Programs

Tuition rates for the online programs will range from 900$ to 1500$ depending on the school.  This price range will include costs for tuition fees and registration and may also include textbooks. The in-class programs available will have a cost of 3,500$ to 6,500$ depending on the school and the location.  Some of the in-class programs will offer a free HVAC education in exchange for the student signing an employment contract with that particular company for a period of two to three years.   You can find these free programs offered as online programs or in-class courses through large heating and cooling companies that have affiliations with local technical schools.

Having a Registered Apprentice Sponsor and the Required Hours

After you have completed a HVAC program you’ll need to complete a one to four year internship in order to obtain the required field knowledge.  During an apprenticeship the student will learn on the job training and will work a specified number of hours in the trade in order to obtain their certification. The usual hour requirement for this field is 2,000 hours.  

The sponsored apprenticeship program will consist of on the job training in conjunction with classroom work and will be sponsored by a trade associate or employer. This can provide the student with a free HVAC program in exchange for signing an employment contract with the HVAC sponser for a period of two to three years.

In an apprenticeship you will learn electrical and general safety, grounding and transformer theory, service and overcurrent protection, wiring and DC electricity, how to use electric mechanical equipment, basic motors and controls, chimneys, flues and vent cleaning and maintenance, air distribution systems and how to maintain heat pumps and compressors. During this time you will work in all types of environments such as schools, hospitals, government buildings and businesses.

Benefits of an Apprenticeship and the Salary

Working as an apprentice you will be able to get your foot in the door as far as future employment with the company you are apprenticing with. Should you decide that you want to find employment elsewhere you can use the opportunity of your apprenticeship as a way to network with professional HVAC techs, HVAC sales associates and project managers.

The salary for the HVAC apprenticeship will range from 15,000$ to 30,000$ depending on the state you live in and the company you are interning for. States such as California will offer a salary of 25,000$ to 35,000$. The apprenticeships that are available within unions are highly competitive and will typically take a recommendation from a current union worker or an associate’s degree.

The average salary for the certified HVAC technician will range from 30,000$ to 40,000$ after the tech has gained two to three years of experience.

HVAC Manager Salary and Additional Courses

The salary for the HVAC manager will range from 55,000$ to 60,000$ annually and will require the applicant to have obtained an associate’s degree in applied science as well as a three to four year internship. These positions will typically require the manager to have a minimum of five years of experience and may also require additional refrigerant certifications.  

Some of the general HVAC programs will include refrigerant courses while the majority will require the student to take an additional certification course and licensing exam for this area.

An HVAC sales associate will have the annual salary potential of 35,000$ to 40,000$ based on that particular individual’s sales skills. To work in this position the sales associate will need to have completed an accredited certificate program, a two year apprenticeship and have a vast knowledge of all aspects of the HVAC installation, maintenance and repair costs and process.

Starting your own HVAC business can provide you with a higher salary but will require you to not only rent a work space each month but to also hire other HVAC techs, sales associates, a receptionist, pay for the rental spaces, utilities and internet and have your own company vehicles. Those wanting to go into business for themselves in this career field should have at least five years of experience and be able to offer the HVAC techs benefits and competitive wages. The new business owner should also consider taking courses in business and accounting in order to effectively run and maintain their new company.

Which State can provide the Best Salary for the HVAC Tech?

California is currently one of the top states that can provide the highest annual salary for this field, with a range of 42,000$ to 55,000$ a year for those techs that have more than two years of experience.  Florida offers their techs an annual salary of 36,000$ to 44,000$ while New York can provide an annual salary of 38,000$ to 40,000$ a year.

States that offer a lower salary for this field are Utah at 26,000$ to 30,000$ a year and Michigan with the annual salary of 26,000$ to 32,000$.

It’s common for those that have completed an HVAC program to relocate to a state that provides a significantly larger annual salary once they have gained one to two years of field experience.

HVAC Education Program Outline

An accredited program will teach students about the field of heating and air conditioning and will provide the student with a structured learning approach to the applications they will need to create and design new HVAC systems, retrofit installed systems and how to preform general repairs and maintenance.  Once the student has completed a program they will need to take the state licensing exam in order to work as a professional in this field. The HVAC student will need to work as an apprentice for a period of two years before qualifying for a license. During an apprenticeship, the student will be compensated at half the wages of a licensed HVAC tech and will be required to work under the direct supervision of a certified tech in order to have the training tech check off competency lists regarding tasks the apprentice must successfully carry out in order to make a passing grade.  

Online HVAC schools will offer the same courses as the in-class courses; however the student will have no assistance from the school in terms of finding an available internship. The online courses will allow the student to complete their coursework on their own time; however, most programs will give the student a time limit of two months to complete each section.

HVAC Degrees, Apprenticeships and Certificate Programs

In this field there is also the facilities management certificate course that will focus on teaching students how to maintain ventilation systems, perform proper HVAC practices, control installation and refrigerant handling and will require the student to have past experience working with refrigerants.  The student will also need to have their own HVAC tools such as a tape measures, hammer, wrenches, pliers, tube cutters and thermometer.

The associate’s degree in applied science will teach students about controlling environments through cooling and heating ventilation techniques. The student will learn how to repair, install and maintain cooling and heating systems with the use of environmental gauges and tools.

The apprenticeship for the HVAC tech obtaining their associate’s degree will allow the student to gain field experience and require them to spend 144 hours of classroom instruction a year and a total of 3 to 4 years dedicated to a compensated apprenticeship.

The HVAC Education Requirements

An HVAC certification program will teach students how to read blueprints, temperature control, equipment design, how to maintain and repair heating and cooling systems and how to install them. The following is some of the core courses you can expect in an accredited program: fundamentals of HVAC technology, pressure, heat energy, personal protective equipment, hydronics, oil heat, gas heat, personal safety, electrical lockout, electrical tag-out, what is energy, intro to the industry, parallel circuits, magnetism, transformers, power wiring, residential heat, electric motor theory, diagnosing motors, three phase motors, system properties and air flow measurement.

The Required Apprenticeship and Work Environment

Most states will require the HVAC student to have worked one to two years as an apprentice under the supervision of a certified HVAC technician or contractor.  Some apprenticeship programs can last four to five years and will teach the apprentice how to incorporate and blend practical learning practices with theoretical practices. An apprenticeship program will commonly be provided by a professional union.

After a student has graduated from an HVAC program they will need to sit for their licensing exam which will contain questions about system installation, repair and maintenance and electrical codes. For those HVAC techs that want to work with refrigerants they will need to take an additional exam for certification.

As a professional technician in this field you will work for the city, or you can work for a large or small heating and cooling company. In the field you will work on repairing and installing systems in residential homes, offices, factories or hospitals.

The median salary for the HVAC technician in 2011 was 42,000$, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the top ten percent of technicians making 65,000$. The national average salary for this field in 2010 was 25,000$. Working as an apprentice you will earn fifty percent of the salary that the licensed HVAC technician will make. The salary for this field will be based on the level of education, union affiliation, the company they are employed with and which state they live in.   Those technicians that have worked in the field for more than three years may also decide to open up their own HVAC business.

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