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The differences between building engineers and equipment maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a building engineer and an equipment maintenance technician. Additionally, a building engineer has an average salary of $76,446, which is higher than the $45,945 average annual salary of an equipment maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a building engineer include HVAC, ladders and plumbing. The most important skills for an equipment maintenance technician are equipment maintenance, hand tools, and preventive maintenance.
| Building Engineer | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $76,446 | $45,945 |
| Hourly rate | $36.75 | $22.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 13,440 | 168,523 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The job of building engineers is to provide advice on design, installation, and maintenance of energy-efficient and cost-effective systems for all building services, including lighting, water, and air conditioning. These professionals are responsible for the distribution of water supply and electricity and resolving tenants' maintenance problems such as plumbing and electrical systems. Additional duties of the building engineers include conducting tests on systems, ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements, and liaising with construction professionals like surveyors and electricians.
An equipment maintenance technician is responsible for ensuring the stability and efficiency of all production tools and equipment to support smooth business functions and operations. Equipment maintenance technicians conduct regular maintenance for optimization, repair defective components, and inspect equipment parts to identify possible upgrades and replacements. They also assemble equipment and machinery, requiring them to have excellent mechanical and critical-thinking skills to analyze schematics and blueprints accurately. An equipment maintenance technician must be highly communicative and organizational, especially in adhering to the highest safety standards and protocols during operations.
Building engineers and equipment maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Building Engineer | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $76,446 | $45,945 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $35,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Hayward, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Vicor |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a building engineer and an equipment maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Building Engineer | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between building engineers' and equipment maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Building Engineer | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |