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.

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.