OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically do the following:
- Install, clean, and maintain HVACR systems
- Install electrical components and wiring
- Inspect and test HVACR systems and components
- Discuss system malfunctions with customers
- Repair or replace worn or defective parts
- Recommend maintenance to improve system performance
- Keep records of work performed
Heating and air conditioning systems control the temperature, humidity, and overall air quality in homes, businesses, and other buildings. By providing a climate-controlled environment, refrigeration systems make it possible to store and transport food, medicine, and other perishable items.
Some HVACR technicians specialize in one or more specific aspects of HVACR, such as radiant heating systems, solar panels, testing and balancing, or commercial refrigeration.
When installing or repairing air conditioning and refrigeration systems, technicians must follow government regulations regarding the conservation, recovery, and recycling of refrigerants. The regulations include those concerning the proper handling and disposal of fluids and pressurized gases.
Some HVACR technicians sell service contracts to their clients, providing periodic maintenance of heating and cooling systems. The service usually includes inspecting the system, cleaning ducts, replacing filters, and checking refrigerant levels.
Other workers sometimes help HVACR technicians install or repair cooling and heating systems. For example, on a large air conditioning installation job, especially one in which workers are covered by union contracts, ductwork may be installed by sheet metal workers, electrical work by electricians, and pipework by plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters. Boiler systems are sometimes installed by a boilermaker.
Home appliance repairers usually service window air conditioners and household refrigerators.
Salary
Median salary: $50,590 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $39,320 and $64,350.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Customer-service skills
HVACR technicians often work in customers’ homes or business offices, so it is important that they be friendly, polite, and punctual. Repair technicians sometimes deal with unhappy customers whose heating or air conditioning is not working.
Detail oriented
HVACR technicians must carefully maintain records of all work performed. The records must include the nature of the work performed and the time it took, as well as a list of specific parts and equipment that were used.
Math skills
HVACR technicians need to calculate the correct load requirements to ensure that the HVACR equipment properly heats or cools the space required.
Mechanical skills
HVACR technicians install and work on complicated climate-control systems, so they must understand the HVAC components and be able to properly assemble, disassemble, and, if needed, program them.
Physical stamina
HVACR technicians may spend many hours walking and standing. The constant physical activity can be tiring.
Physical strength
HVACR technicians may have to lift and support heavy equipment and components, often without help.
Time-management skills
HVACR technicians frequently have a set number of daily maintenance calls. They should be able to keep a schedule and complete all necessary repairs or tasks.
Troubleshooting skills
HVACR technicians must be able to identify problems on malfunctioning heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems and then determine the best way to repair them.
Injury and Illness
About 228 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 95% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Chemical burns and corrosions
Soreness and pain
Amputations
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically hold a postsecondary nondegree award.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Many HVACR technicians receive postsecondary instruction from technical and trade schools or community colleges that offer programs in heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration. These programs generally last from 6 months to 2 years and lead to a certificate or an associate’s degree.
High school students interested in becoming an HVACR technician should take courses in vocational education, math, and physics. Knowledge of plumbing or electrical work and a basic understanding of electronics is also helpful.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all technicians who buy, handle, or work with refrigerants to be certified in proper refrigerant handling. Many trade schools, unions, and employer associations offer training programs designed to prepare students for the EPA certification exam.
In addition, some states and localities require HVACR technicians to be licensed; check with your state and locality for more information.
Education level of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Only 6% of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Program
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (ACS)
Employment
7% of Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 7% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 67% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers and gender
With 1% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 98% of careers.
Gender of Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
Men (99%)
Women (1%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the
US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%.
The situation is a little better for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, with the
median salary for men 8%
higher than the median salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.
Race/origin of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
White (82% )
Black (6% )
Other (6% )
Multiracial (2% )
Asian (2% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
