What does a hvac engineer do?
An HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning) engineer is responsible for managing the efficiency and stability of cooling and heating systems. HVAC engineers install the system's components, requiring them to have an excellent analysis of schematics and blueprints. They also conduct regular inspection and cleaning services to ensure that the systems work on their optimal performance. An HVAC engineer must have excellent organizational and mechanical skills, especially in understanding system complexities and the ability to identify inconsistencies immediately.
Hvac engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hvac engineer resumes:
- Manage general facilities including commissioning, building management systems, and calibrations for GMP area for tablets production operation.
- Maintain, service, and repair high-pressure chillers and boilers, including: plumbing, basic electricity, and heating.
- Comply with OSHA's regulations on storage, use and disposal of trash, rubbish, waste and HMMAT.
- Perform general electrical repairs, basic plumbing repairs.
- Operate and maintain heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation systems.
- Calculate heat load for various air condition areas and ventilation requirements for various areas.
- Expedite and simplify the quotation process for solar water heating systems by accurately representing solar water heating system performance through MATLAB models
- Work entail repairing or replacing exterior structures such as roofing, siding, exterior trim, and exterior doors.
- Perform mechanical over hauls and refrigerant reclaiming.
Hvac engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Hvac Engineers are proficient in Plumbing, Preventive Maintenance, and Electrical Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Hvac Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Plumbing, 17%
Performed general electrical repairs, basic plumbing repairs.
- Preventive Maintenance, 15%
Follow the preventive maintenance program, energy management program and standard operating procedures for all machinery and equipment.
- Electrical Equipment, 12%
Performed responsibilities of repairing and servicing air conditioning equipment, broiler, electrical equipment, and physical building components.
- Revit, 5%
Utilized Revit and AutoCAD for design work on projects- Interdepartmental liaison aiding in project completion
- Ventilation, 4%
Operated and maintained heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation systems.
- EPA, 4%
Fabricate metal air ducts Accomplishments Received my EPA Universal Certificate
"plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "electrical equipment" are among the most common skills that hvac engineers use at work. You can find even more hvac engineer responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a hvac engineer to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Hvac engineers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "supervised contractors, repaired a/c, plumbing and electrical equipment, controlled building inventory data. "
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling hvac engineer duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." According to a hvac engineer resume, here's how hvac engineers can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "utilize test equipment, critical thinking, and listening as troubleshooting techniques to diagnose malfuncting systems. "
Problem-solving skills. hvac engineers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to hvac engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." A hvac engineer resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "reviewed shop drawings and rfis to troubleshoot and approve solutions to problems encountered during construction in the field. "
Math skills. hvac engineer responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This resume example shows what hvac engineers do with math skills on a typical day: "established a math function library for signal processing on digital signal processor. "
Mechanical skills. Another common skill required for hvac engineer responsibilities is "mechanical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of hvac engineers all the time, as "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." An excerpt from a real hvac engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a hvac engineer does: "managed over 100+ employees, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection engineers and contractors. "
The three companies that hire the most hvac engineers are:
- CBRE Group101 hvac engineers jobs
- CB Richard Ellis Memphis LLC54 hvac engineers jobs
- Hazen and Sawyer11 hvac engineers jobs
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Compare different hvac engineers
Hvac engineer vs. Research and development engineer
Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies. Their duties vary and depend on the industries they work in. Responsibilities of these engineers include developing new technologies, designing products, and managing the projects until they are completed. Additionally, they lead the project team members to manage their schedules, design the project plans, and collaborate with key departments in developing new products.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, hvac engineer responsibilities require skills like "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "electrical equipment," and "revit." Meanwhile a typical research and development engineer has skills in areas such as "python," "r," "c #," and "solidworks." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Research and development engineers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $107,654. In contrast, hvac engineers make the biggest average salary, $86,492, in the automotive industry.research and development engineers tend to reach higher levels of education than hvac engineers. In fact, research and development engineers are 9.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Hvac engineer vs. Product development engineer
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, hvac engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "electrical equipment," and "revit." Meanwhile, a product development engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "solidworks," "product development," "project management," and "data analysis." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, product development engineers earn a higher salary than hvac engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, product development engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $86,062. Whereas hvac engineers have higher pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $86,492.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Product development engineers tend to reach higher levels of education than hvac engineers. In fact, they're 6.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hvac engineer vs. Technical services engineer
A technical services engineer is responsible for assisting customers on their systems and network issues, providing them the best technical solutions, and guiding them on step-by-step procedures for troubleshooting. Technical services engineers must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially on identifying customers' system failures by asking them a few questions. They also escalate high-level complaints to internal teams, ensuring that they present the client's issues for reference. A technical services engineer also handles systems configuration and recommending process improvement techniques to optimize network infrastructure.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from hvac engineer resumes include skills like "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "electrical equipment," and "revit," whereas a technical services engineer is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "technical service," "project management," and "customer satisfaction. "
Technical services engineers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $86,876. Hvac engineers earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $86,492.Most technical services engineers achieve a similar degree level compared to hvac engineers. For example, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hvac engineer vs. Product design engineer
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
Types of hvac engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
