Heating and ventilation service installer
Also called HVAC mechanic, HVACR inspector, HVAC heating mechanic
Heating and ventilation service installers maintain and place industrial heating and refrigeration systems. They set up furnaces, thermostats, ducts, vents, and other equipment needed to ensure the controlled passage and treatment of air. They also carry out repairs.
What you'd do
Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics · ILO- Interpreting blueprints, drawings or other specifications
- Assembling, installing and repairing components such as compressors, motors, condensers, evaporators, switches and gauges for air conditioning and refrigeration systems
- Connecting piping and equipment by bolting, riveting, welding or brazing
- Testing systems, diagnosing faults and performing routine maintenance or servicing
- Indoors and outdoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Constant contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects16 EU countries are short of air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics now, but fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among craft and related trades workers in the EU, women earn 26% less per hour than men. Craft and related trades workers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in electricity and energy is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.21 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 4 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).