What is an HVAC certification?

Here are the organizations that offer HVAC certification:

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• North American Technical Excellence (NATE)

• ESCO Group

• Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES)

• Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA)

An HVAC certification is very useful in the HVAC field and related industries. It can provide advanced knowledge of HVAC systems, and open an HVAC technician, or similar role, to a whole host of job opportunities.

Certain HVAC certifications have the benefit of specialized knowledge, giving you more access to niche areas of the HVAC job market. Here are some common specialized areas of HVAC certification:

• Heat pumps

• Indoor air quality

• Preventative maintenance

• Green awareness

• R410-A refrigerants

• Carbon monoxide safety

• Hydrocarbon refrigerants

• Duct and envelope testing

• Solar heating

Becoming HVAC certified can help advance your career if you are an independent contractor or looking for full-time HVAC work at a company. It can qualify you to work on large-scale HVAC projects, and also increases your earning potential.

Formal education is not a requirement to obtain an HVAC certification, although you do need to have either training or professional experience in the field.

Trade schools and community colleges offer HVAC certificates and associate degrees. Another option is to do an HVAC apprenticeship, which is a three to five year program of professional experience and training that you are paid for.

You can also find entry-level HVAC-related jobs and gain professional experience from a few years of work.

Here are some of the best and most common HVAC or HVAC-related certifications:

• HVAC Master Specialist

• OSHA Safety Certificate

• Electrical Technician Certification

• Electrical Maintenance Technician Certificate

• Air Conditioning Service Certification

• Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Professional

• Certified Electrical Inspector - Residential (CEI-R)

• Heating Professional