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.

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.

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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