HVAC Service Technician Hourly Rate

A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) service technician starts an appointment with a customer by asking about any problems with the heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning systems in the client's home or business. From there, the technician will carefully examine the equipment in question to diagnose and troubleshoot the problem. Once the issue is determined, the technician provides the customer with a repair quote and, if authorized, begins to repair or replace defective equipment, mechanical components, or wiring in HVAC systems. An HVAC service technician might also be called upon by a customer to carry out preventative maintenance tasks or inspections to ensure that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems continue to run smoothly. A technician should have certification or an associate's degree from a technical or trade school that is accredited by HVAC Excellence, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, or the Partnership for Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Accreditation. Formal training programs can last anywhere from six months up to two years. The job involves working with electrical equipment, so it is very important that a technician know exactly what he or she is doing or the job can get very dangerous very quickly. If an education is not in the picture, it is sometimes possible to go through a formal apprenticeship program which can take three to five years and mixes on-the-job experience and training with classroom instruction. Exams for certifications are offered by a number of associations. A license to work as an HVAC technician is required in several states and can be obtained by passing a written test.

HVAC Service Technician Tasks