Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
What it pays
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers earn a median of $29.33/hr — about $61,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $19.25/hr; the top 10% earn $45.78/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers earn a median of $29.33/hr — about $61,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $19.25/hr; the top 10% earn $45.78/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
- Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area.
- Study blueprints, design specifications, or manufacturers' recommendations to ascertain the configuration of heating or cooling equipment components and to ensure the proper installation of components.
- Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
- Connect heating or air conditioning equipment to fuel, water, or refrigerant source to form complete circuit.
- Adjust system controls to settings recommended by manufacturer to balance system.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 4.8% of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Millwrights
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
- Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Quick questions
- How much does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer make?
- The median pay is $29.33 per hour — roughly $61,000 a year, with the real range running from about $19.25/hr (10th percentile) to $45.78/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer?
- The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
- What does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer actually do all day?
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment. Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area. Study blueprints, design specifications, or manufacturers' recommendations to ascertain the configuration of heating or cooling equipment components and to ensure the proper installation of components.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.