HVAC trade schools near you

Text Stephen Peters December 20 2019, updated January 28 2021

HVAC careers

Before you choose any career you should ask; what is in it for me? By this we mean you should properly research the cost of getting onto your chosen career path as well as the lifetime earning potential of the career path. As it is difficult and expensive to retrain for a different career later on properly researching the pros and cons before you commit is in your best interest.

When you are considering an HVAC career one of the first things you will want to research is the full range of possible career paths available within the industry. Many people do not realise the full scope of the field and simply think that HVAC starts and ends with air conditioning for homes, shops, and offices. However HVAC is also commonly seen by most people being used heavily in food retail, production, and service. It is also found in a great many industries supporting industrial processes as well as medicine and medical research.

Technicians starting out in the industry can expect their career to progress on to extremely well paid jobs. However they must continue to invest in training throughout their career to progress. It follows then that the most successful HVAC technicians in the field constantly train in either new sectors or more advanced topics. This is especially true if you want to move across different HVAC sectors or into management and engineering roles. Training is also needed to keep up with the many new technical developments in the industry. Environmental legislation, energy efficiency and new technology mean that HVAC staff constantly need to update their skills to move ahead in their career. Your career growth depends upon regular training.

As you progress in your career it is possible to progress to more senior roles in management as well as engineering and sales roles. It is possible to cross train while you are working making any training you take cost effective much sooner than in other industries. Once you reach higher pay grades you will find that senior people within the industry are in high demand across multiple industry sectors and have excellent job security.

Some people choose to find further success when they decide to start their own highly successful contracting companies. At the simplest level once you have gained sufficient experience it is possible to run a contracting business from a van or truck. If you have invested in HVAC tools during the time you initially were gaining experience starting your own HVAC business can be reasonably low cost.

Career paths commonly cross multiple sectors in the industry with staff having worked in residential, commercial, design, engineering, and sales roles in their career. Even during recessions skilled staff remain in high demand as uses for HVAC do not stop during economic slowdowns. Experienced technicians can simply move to another area within the field if the one they are in does not provide the career growth they need at that time.

Talent shortage

Many if not most people take HVAC for granted. They assume that as it has been a fact of life for a long time there is a well known career path and a steady stream of technicians entering the profession. It is true that since Willis Carrier invented the first air conditioning unit in 1902 HVAC has become commonplace in homes shops and offices. The HVAC industry however is facing a serious shortage of qualified staff while the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) project a 13% HVAC job outlook increase until 2028, A growth rate much higher than the average growth rate for all other occupations which is just 5%

During the last century HVAC equipment manufacturers have made steady improvements to their products, with current developments providing customers with lower overall costs. This has lead to HVAC systems becoming ubiquitous in modern life so that now roughly 75% of homes have air conditioning installed. Both the government and industry predict that sales of air conditioners will increase as new equipment designs become more cost effective to run, global temperatures rise, and the population increases. Currently the North American market is leading demand for HVAC with positive compound annual growth rates (CAGR). The North American HVAC equipment market is expected to meet a CAGR of 4.6% forecasted until 2029 with sales of $2.4 billion in 2018.

Inevitably the development of refrigeration equipment shortly followed on from that of air conditioning. A decade on from the first air conditioner mechanical refrigeration systems were in widespread use in the food industry which had previously been using harvested ice from rivers and lakes to chill food. Like air conditioning refrigeration has become a ubiquitous and essential part of everyday life. Just like air conditioning the market for refrigeration is predicted to increase by 5.2% CAGR with annual industry sales of $1 billion during 2018.

As HVAC is commonplace there now is an enormous installed base of equipment installed across the country. This of course will require ongoing maintenance services to keep it operational as well as repairs when it fails. The HVAC will need to install both upgrades and replacements as old equipment reaches the end of its life. If you choose to enter the industry work opportunities will exist in both the manufacture of HVAC equipment as well as in installation and servicing.

Unfortunately industry growth is taking place alongside a serious talent shortage within the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the available jobs in the HVAC industry to increase by 15% by 2026, however 20% of the existing workforce is going to reach retirement age within 10 years. During 2018 the industry only managed to increase staff levels by 2.3% with people leaving college and starting an HVAC job. It is difficult to see how the industry will solve either the existing staffing shortage or replace workers retiring. The HVAC industry however has to contend with the perception that work in the trades is difficult and low paid. It also has to contend with schools cutting shop classes and steering students towards traditional four year colleges.

It should be clear then that the HVAC industry has two major problems: an existing shortage of staff with insufficient new employees joining the industry and a positive growth rate that cannot be fulfilled. If the predictions of a downturn in the economy become reality a skilled HVAC worker should still have no problem with finding well paid employment. As each and every item of HVAC equipment is installed by hand the industry cannot outsource their labour problem, and using immigrant workers clearly has not happened during the last ten years as there is still a shortage of skilled staff. It seems highly likely that HVAC staff will find themselves in a sellers market for their skills and can demand and get high salaries in the next decade.

HVAC career training

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have a series of short tests generally known as the EPA 608 certifications. They are a legal requirement for anyone working on HVAC equipment. Until you have passed these certifications you will be unlikely to get any HVAC work other than labouring. The tests take the form of short multiple choice questions. If you choose to take an HVAC certification course or degree course these certifications are often covered in the course material.

People who want to start working in the industry while gaining a professional certification often choose to take the course from North American Technical Excellence (NATE). To become NATE certified you will need to pass the core test as well as a speciality course of your choice. The NATE certification has wide recognition throughout the industry and has the benefit that you can gain it while working.

If you prefer to go to school or college to gain a degree you can generally choose between an associates degree, which takes two years or a bachelor of science degree which takes four years. While the four year degree takes longer and costs more in the long term you will have gained engineering and business skills that will mean you can pursue higher paid jobs faster.

Training costs

The type of training you choose can have a large impact on your career and lifetime earnings. You will need to work at the starting technician level before moving on to higher paid roles which will make student loan payments seem high when you start out. This may make the four year degree programs seem excessively expensive however these often include an internship during the course and can help you move on to senior roles faster.

Short certificate programs are offered by a technical schools or community colleges and take from six months to one year. They typically cost from $1,200 to $15,000 with most being around the $7,000 mark. Topics covered include EPA certification, basic refrigeration, motor controls, heating systems, maintenance, and basic math. This is enough to get you into paid work once you have passed, although you should carefully vet the school before signing up to a course as not all short programs are of equal quality.

Following on from short programs are associates degrees where you will be offered a more in depth training in HVAC topics. These courses cost between $15,000 to $35,000 and take two years to complete. While there are online courses available they are rare as HVAC training is best when it is taught in a hands on way. Simply put classroom based learning teaches you hands on skills online courses cannot. Some technical schools have entered into partnerships with contracting associations to develop apprenticeship programs.

If you take a long term view a four year bachelor of science degree can be a really good investment as it can lead to jobs in full blown engineering or architecture. Costs vary from $35,000 to $60,000 with the biggest cost factor being whether you qualify for in stat tuition. Four year courses generally offer tuition in related business topics such as management and business classes. These will be invaluable if you do choose to start your own company.

Some schools have lower tuition rates for students who are already residents in that state. While some schools simply offer flat rate it is in your interest to investigate if you qualify for the lower tuition rate. Unfortunately there is not hard and fast rule as to who is regarded as in state or a resident. Especially as the rules are different between each state and individual school.

Any student is also going to have a number of additional costs, the most obvious being housing and food. Staying with your parents while studying is clearly going to be the lowest cost option otherwise budget around $5,000 to $10,000 per year for living costs depending on where you will be studying. You will also need to buy books as well as tools. Both of these can be of long term use and can cost from $500 to $950 per year.

What next?

It is best to get a really good idea of all of the costs before you decide to invest in HVAC training. It is also wise to find out if the type of job you want to get is actually available in the state you are training in. You should also find out what any ancillary costs are such as college accommodation, books and tools will cost. Once you know what the full cost and length of training is will you be able to work out how long it will be before you can pay off any loans you have after schooling.

When you do pick a school make sure the course will cover the licensing requirements for the state you plan on working in. While all HVAC technicians in the US must have passed the EPA certifications each state has a different licensing set of requirements and certification process to get through before you can work in that state. IF you choose to attend school in a different state from the one you will be working in you may need to arrange for separate licensing test for the state you will end up in.

To find out more about HVAC careers consider looking at not just the schools in your state, but the job pages for current starting positions, who the best HVAC employers in your state are, which HVAC companies advertise locally either online or in print publications such as the yellow pages. Also consider researching on sites such as Glassdoor or Trustpilot to find out what the reputations of local HVAC employers are like.

Here at Discover HVAC we have our own schools information for each US state which shows you the qualifications you will need to gain in your state before working in HVAC. We also list the schools offering HVAC classes in your state so you can see which are the best schools near you. You can also look further afield at other states to see if you are better off going to school in another state. Pick a state from the list below to start your search.