Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between hvac apprentices and hvac-r 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 hvac apprentice and a hvac-r technician. Additionally, a hvac-r technician has an average salary of $53,354, which is higher than the $34,073 average annual salary of a hvac apprentice.
The top three skills for a hvac apprentice include customer service, customer satisfaction and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a hvac-r technician are HVAC/R, ventilation, and plumbing.
| Hvac Apprentice | Hvac-R Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,073 | $53,354 |
| Hourly rate | $16.38 | $25.65 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 25,483 | 85,555 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | Associate Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apprentices are trainees who work under HVAC maintenance workers. They train under HVAC maintenance workers to gain actual, on-the-job experience. To be an apprentice, one should have a formal training background related to HVAC repair and maintenance. They may be enrolled in a technical-vocational school specializing in HVAC repair and maintenance. As such, apprenticeship is part of their curriculum or class requirements. During their apprenticeship, HVAC apprentices will experience installing, diagnosing, repair, and maintaining HVAC units firsthand.
HVAC-R Technicians are responsible for the repair, maintenance, and installation of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) systems. Their duties include repairing, maintaining, and installing HVAC-R equipment and systems, inspect equipment maintenance risks, diagnose mechanical and electrical faults, adjusting and cleaning systems, and carrying out warranty services. They maintain accurate maintenance records, assist with customer inquiries, give technical direction, provide mentorship to the junior technicians as well as ensure work complies with service, appliance, and safety standards.
Hvac apprentices and hvac-r technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hvac Apprentice | Hvac-R Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,073 | $53,354 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $43,000 | Between $35,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gaithersburg, MD | Lynnwood, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Johnson Controls | Better |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a hvac apprentice and a hvac-r technician in terms of educational background:
| Hvac Apprentice | Hvac-R Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | Associate Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Heating And Air Conditioning |
| Most common college | Dunwoody College of Technology | Dunwoody College of Technology |
Here are the differences between hvac apprentices' and hvac-r technicians' demographics:
| Hvac Apprentice | Hvac-R Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% | Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |