Skilled trades · Building & Making
HVAC technician: what the job actually is
Installing and fixing the heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment that people only think about when it stops working.
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The work
What this job actually is
- Installing, servicing and repairing heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment in homes, shops, restaurants and larger buildings.
- In Ontario the work sits in more than one trade. Skilled Trades Ontario lists Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic as trade code 313A and Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic as 313D, and both are compulsory.
- Service calls are detective work: a system that does not heat or cool, a noise, a smell. You test, rule things out and find the cause.
- Installation is physical: lifting equipment, running lines, fastening ducting, and making connections that will not leak.
- The work follows the weather. A furnace fails on the coldest night, and an air conditioner on the hottest.
A Tuesday
What a normal day looks like
Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.
- 7:00 — In the shop, load the truck, and read the day's service calls.
- 7:45 — Drive to the first call. A furnace that will not start, and a house that is getting cold.
- 8:15 — Check power, controls and airflow in that order, because the simple thing is usually the cause.
- 9:30 — Replace the part, run the system through its cycle, and watch it behave.
- 10:30 — Explain what failed to the homeowner without making it sound like a mystery.
- 11:30 — Drive to a rooftop unit at a small commercial building.
- 12:00 — Lunch, on the roof or in the cab, depending on weather.
- 12:30 — Service the unit: filters, belts, coils, readings. Write down what you found and what you recommend.
- 14:30 — Start an installation: set the equipment, run the lines, mount the controls.
- 16:00 — Clean up, log the work, and look at what is scheduled for tomorrow.
Honestly
Who loves this, and who should not do it
The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.
- You like working out why a machine is not doing its job and fixing it so it does.
- You are comfortable going into strangers' homes and businesses and explaining what you found.
- You like a mix of electrical, mechanical and plumbing-type work in one trade.
- Seasonal busy periods suit you better than a flat, identical year.
- You want to be paid while you train.
- Hot attics, rooftops in winter and cramped utility rooms are a problem for you. That is where the equipment is.
- You do not want a seasonal pattern with heavy demand when the weather is worst.
- Dealing with unhappy customers whose house is cold and whose budget is tight would wear you down.
- You dislike learning rules. The work involves handling refrigerants and fuel-burning equipment safely, and that comes with training and procedures.
- Heavy lifting and awkward positions are a poor fit for your body.
The route in
How you actually get there in Ontario
Pick the trade that matches the work
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic is trade code 313A and covers the wider trade. Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic is 313D and is narrower. Both are compulsory in Ontario, so you cannot legally do the work without registration or certification.Find a sponsor, register and work the hours
The 313A apprenticeship is 9,000 hours, approximately five years, made up of 8,280 hours on the job and 720 hours in school. The 313D apprenticeship is 4,500 hours, approximately two and a half years: 4,020 hours on the job and 480 hours in school.Certify
Skilled Trades Ontario lists 313A as a Red Seal trade, recognised across Canada as Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic. Its page for 313D did not mention Red Seal status, so check it with Skilled Trades Ontario before assuming.Check for other tickets your employer needs
Some heating and fuel work may need further qualifications. We did not verify which, so ask any employer or Skilled Trades Ontario what your specific work requires.
Where this comes from: Skilled Trades Ontario — Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (313A) · Skilled Trades Ontario — Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (313D) · Ontario — Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
The money
What it pays in Ontario
Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.
- $21.00
- Low (hourly)
- $37.00
- Median (hourly)
- $58.00
- High (hourly)
Ontario, NOC 72402. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.
Where it is heading
The outlook for the next three years
Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.
Good4 out of 5 stars
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.
What is changing in this work
- Significant number of new facilities is adding to the stock of structures requiring services
- Public sector funding to improve energy efficiency in homes should also create work, especially for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) mechanics
- A growing food manufacturing industry requires refrigeration installation services, as well as upgrades and maintenance of existing systems
- Opportunities should also arise to service trucks that provide temperature-controlled transportation for perishable goods
Who hires for it
- The majority work in construction as building equipment contractors
- 22,350
- people work in this job in Ontario
- less than 5%
- are women (48% across all jobs)
- 14%
- are self-employed (15% across all jobs)
Source: Job Bank — Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics job prospects in Ontario (NOC 72402). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.
Before you leave school
Things you can do now
- Ask about OYAP through your co-op teacher or board recruiter, and ask whether any heating and cooling employers take placements.
- Take technology, shop and physics courses. Heat, pressure and airflow are what the job is made of.
- Notice the equipment at school: where the furnace room is, and what the thermostat controls. Look, do not touch.
- Ask a family friend or neighbour who works in the trade if you can ask them three questions at their convenience.
Test it
Do this before you decide anything
Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.
Find out how a heating or cooling system works, and whether you care
About 60 minutes- Watch one video that explains how a refrigeration cycle moves heat. Pause it and explain it out loud in your own words.
- Watch a technician diagnose a no-heat or no-cool call from start to finish. Write down the order of the checks.
- Look at the thermostat at home. Work out what it controls and what happens when you change the setting. Do not open it.
- Phone one local heating and cooling company and ask whether they take apprentices.
What it tells you. If explaining the refrigeration cycle felt like understanding something satisfying, that curiosity is the entry ticket. If you were counting the minutes through the diagnosis video, a job that is entirely diagnosis is a poor bet for you.
Better than any article
Questions for somebody who does this job
Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.
- “What is the busiest week of your year like?”
- “Which do you prefer, installation or service, and why?”
- “What do you wish somebody had told you before your first summer on a roof?”
- “How did you decide between the two trades?”
- “What is the most common cause of a call-out that could have been avoided?”
- “What qualifications beyond the apprenticeship did you need for your work?”
Could you own one of these?
The part other career sites never mention
Yes, and many technicians do. You still need to be registered or certified in a compulsory trade first, and then the business costs are real: a vehicle, tools, insurance, and a way of staying afloat in the slow months. Reputation does most of the marketing for a service business.
Not sure this is the right list to be reading
Start from yourself, not from the job.
Future Finder is free, takes about ten minutes, needs no account and stores nothing. It will tell you which kinds of work you lean toward, and which of these pages are worth your time.
Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.
If this appeals, look at these too
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Apprenticeships in Ontario What to do after high school All careers guides
Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.