Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between building engineers and maintenance engineers 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 a maintenance engineer. Additionally, a building engineer has an average salary of $76,446, which is higher than the $47,133 average annual salary of a maintenance engineer.
The top three skills for a building engineer include HVAC, ladders and plumbing. The most important skills for a maintenance engineer are plumbing, HVAC, and guest rooms.
| Building Engineer | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,446 | $47,133 |
| Hourly rate | $36.75 | $22.66 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 13,440 | 97,957 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| 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.
A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.
Building engineers and maintenance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Building Engineer | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $76,446 | $47,133 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $29,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | Halliburton |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a building engineer and a maintenance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Building Engineer | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between building engineers' and maintenance engineers' demographics:
| Building Engineer | Maintenance Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |