What Does an HVAC Technician Do?
Warm homes in January, cool classrooms in July and cold storage for food and medicine all depend on HVAC technicians. They make sure that heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment is installed to code, and that breakdowns are found and fixed before a building gets uncomfortable or a freezer warms up. Most work for contracting firms, and others keep a hospital, school district or campus running.
Also known as: Lead HVAC/Refrigeration Technician, HVAC/Refrigeration Mechanic, HVAC/Refrigeration Technician, HVAC Service Worker
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as A/C Tech (Air Conditioning Technician), HVAC Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Installer), HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic), HVAC Service Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Service Technician), HVAC Specialist (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Specialist), HVAC Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Technician), Refrigeration Mechanic, Refrigeration Operator.
HVAC Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an HVAC technician include:
- Diagnose no-heat and no-cooling calls using gauges, thermometers and a multimeter.
- Recover, evacuate and recharge refrigerant, and keep the records EPA rules require.
- Replace compressors, fan motors, capacitors and contactors on rooftop units and split systems.
- Change filters and belts, clean coils and drains, and lubricate bearings on preventive maintenance rounds.
- Braze copper line sets and pressure-test joints with nitrogen before charging a system.
- Service walk-in coolers, freezers and ice machines in dining halls and labs.
- Check airflow, temperatures and pressures against the equipment's specifications, and adjust as needed.
- Install new units, duct connections and thermostats during replacements and renovations.
- Explain repairs to building staff or homeowners and write up findings in the work order.
- Cover on-call shifts for after-hours breakdowns in labs, server rooms and freezers.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an HVAC technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- EPA certification for handling refrigerants
- Electrical troubleshooting with a multimeter
- Brazing and soldering copper
- Refrigeration cycle and airflow fundamentals
- Reading wiring diagrams and service manuals
- Good manners in homes and busy buildings
- Comfort working on roofs, in attics and in crawl spaces
- Valid driver's license for service calls
Education and Training
A postsecondary HVAC certificate from a community college or trade school usually leads to a helper or apprentice job, and the real skill comes from long training in the field after that. To work on your own, in many states you will need a license, and anyone who handles refrigerant needs EPA certification. Apprenticeships are a paid route in.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $48,360 - $77,060 per year, with a median of $61,010.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers.
Employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is projected to grow about 11 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS. That is healthy growth for a trade. Demand should rise for several reasons, including new construction; the replacement of older equipment, such as systems built for phased-out refrigerants; and the move toward heat pumps. BLS also expects about 40,600 openings a year, which leaves newly certified technicians with plenty of places to apply.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.
HVAC Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $40,050 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $48,360 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $61,010 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $77,060 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $95,210 |
Highest-Paying States for HVAC Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($84,390), Alaska ($77,430), Illinois ($77,410), Massachusetts ($77,300), Connecticut ($76,610). Pay is lowest in Mississippi ($48,680), Alabama ($48,370), Arkansas ($48,110).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,370 |
| Alaska | $77,430 |
| Arizona | $59,400 |
| Arkansas | $48,110 |
| California | $72,560 |
| Colorado | $65,200 |
| Connecticut | $76,610 |
| Delaware | $62,320 |
| District of Columbia | $84,390 |
| Florida | $56,670 |
| Georgia | $56,390 |
| Hawaii | $65,450 |
| Idaho | $56,240 |
| Illinois | $77,410 |
| Indiana | $60,430 |
| Iowa | $60,680 |
| Kansas | $60,460 |
| Kentucky | $58,620 |
| Louisiana | $58,650 |
| Maine | $63,170 |
| Maryland | $70,020 |
| Massachusetts | $77,300 |
| Michigan | $60,850 |
| Minnesota | $76,350 |
| Mississippi | $48,680 |
| Missouri | $59,950 |
| Montana | $60,850 |
| Nebraska | $59,850 |
| Nevada | $60,510 |
| New Hampshire | $73,850 |
| New Jersey | $74,450 |
| New Mexico | $50,270 |
| New York | $74,430 |
| North Carolina | $57,260 |
| North Dakota | $74,490 |
| Ohio | $62,510 |
| Oklahoma | $57,560 |
| Oregon | $62,940 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,400 |
| Rhode Island | $67,370 |
| South Carolina | $56,610 |
| South Dakota | $61,390 |
| Tennessee | $55,490 |
| Texas | $57,760 |
| Utah | $58,730 |
| Vermont | $62,150 |
| Virginia | $59,730 |
| Washington | $75,660 |
| West Virginia | $48,850 |
| Wisconsin | $61,710 |
| Wyoming | $54,700 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 87% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 82% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 79% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 78% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 73% are on the phone every day
- 69% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 69% work at heights at least once a week
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Post-secondary certificate | 68% |
| Less than high school | 20% |
| Some college | 7% |
Tools and Software HVAC Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Troubleshooting, Reading Comprehension, Installation, Repairing.
Knowledge areas used most: Mechanical, Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a HVAC Technician Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 49-9021.00 (Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.