HVAC Technician job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$61,010

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (O*NET-SOC 49-9021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment. importance 4.3 of 5
3. Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Install, connect, or adjust thermostats, humidistats, or timers. importance 4.2 of 5
8. Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area. importance 4.2 of 5
9. Repair or service heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to improve efficiency, such as by changing filters, cleaning ducts, and refilling non-toxic refrigerants. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Test pipes, lines, components, and connections for leaks. importance 4.1 of 5
11. Braze or solder parts to repair defective joints and leaks. importance 4.1 of 5
12. Recommend, develop, or perform preventive or general maintenance procedures, such as cleaning, power-washing, or vacuuming equipment, oiling parts, or changing filters. importance 4.1 of 5
13. Keep records of repairs and replacements made and causes of malfunctions. importance 4.1 of 5
14. Record and report time, materials, faults, deficiencies, or other unusual occurrences on work orders. importance 4.1 of 5
15. Adjust system controls to settings recommended by manufacturer to balance system. importance 4.0 of 5
16. Perform mechanical overhauls and refrigerant reclaiming. importance 4.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Processing Information and Making Decisions and Solving Problems.

Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Administration and Management and Education and Training.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Autodesk AutoCAD, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become an HVAC technician.

Job title: HVAC Technician
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an HVAC Technician to install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
- Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
- Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
- Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
- Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
- Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition.
- Install, connect, or adjust thermostats, humidistats, or timers.
- Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in operations monitoring, troubleshooting and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Building and Construction and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Autodesk AutoCAD or Adobe Acrobat]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $61,010 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $29.33. BLS estimates about 409,670 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers to grow 10.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,600 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full HVAC technician salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real HVAC technician posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only HVAC technician work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operations monitoring and troubleshooting); HVAC technician interview questions turns them into practice questions.