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The differences between refrigeration technicians and hvac apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a refrigeration technician and a hvac apprentice. Additionally, a refrigeration technician has an average salary of $50,701, which is higher than the $34,073 average annual salary of a hvac apprentice.
The top three skills for a refrigeration technician include preventative maintenance, hand tools and ladders. The most important skills for a hvac apprentice are customer service, customer satisfaction, and preventative maintenance.
| Refrigeration Technician | Hvac Apprentice | |
| Yearly salary | $50,701 | $34,073 |
| Hourly rate | $24.38 | $16.38 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 131,115 | 25,483 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A refrigeration technician is responsible for managing refrigeration and cooling systems for private households and commercial establishments. Refrigeration technicians install refrigeration components, requiring them to have an excellent analysis of blueprints and schematics. They inspect the system components and inform the household owners and management for preventive maintenance and troubleshooting for minor defects and inconsistencies, as well as calculating costs and materials for repairs. A refrigeration technician must be well-equipped with mechanical knowledge to identify failures and upgrade units as necessary.
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.
Refrigeration technicians and hvac apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Refrigeration Technician | Hvac Apprentice | |
| Average salary | $50,701 | $34,073 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $75,000 | Between $26,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Johnson Controls |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a refrigeration technician and a hvac apprentice in terms of educational background:
| Refrigeration Technician | Hvac Apprentice | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Heating And Air Conditioning |
| Most common college | - | Dunwoody College of Technology |
Here are the differences between refrigeration technicians' and hvac apprentices' demographics:
| Refrigeration Technician | Hvac Apprentice | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.2% Female, 2.8% | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 2.5% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |