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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.

Also called: AC Mechanic (Air Conditioner Mechanic), AC Tech (Air Conditioning Technician), HVAC Control Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Control Technician), HVAC Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Installer), HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic), HVAC Service Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Service Technician)

Compare with my current job (Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$78,530
$37.75/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
6,050
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+9.9%
800 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Postsecondary nondegree award
plus Long-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,890$61,740$78,530$97,270$103,050

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.
  • Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.
  • Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.
  • Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.
  • Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.
  • Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure24 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 22
  • Language-model AIOE 21
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 30

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is on the lower side, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with scheduling, work orders, and sorting through test results. Repairing equipment, wiring controls, and talking with customers at their homes or businesses still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Scheduling jobs and creating work orders
  • Sorting through test results to find problems

Still relies on people

  • Repairing and replacing equipment on site
  • Talking with customers about problems

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

    You already work with thermostats, controls, and testing. This job builds on those skills and has higher Boston median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$16,990 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.8%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

    Working on heating and cooling systems carries over to piping work. Plumbing is an apprenticeship trade with higher Boston pay and 6.5% growth.

    Pay difference
    +$18,230 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.5%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

    Testing circuits and finding faults carries over to testing lines and cables. This job has higher Boston median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$24,560 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +0.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

3 programs near Boston

Who employs heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on Boston construction projects

Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers, not who has openings.

177,580 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: HVAC, HVAC Mechanic).

31.7%
of hours by boston residents
56.5%
of hours by people of color
7.6%
of hours by women
Top employers by worker hours
EmployerWorker hoursBoston resident shareProjects
Emond Plumbing & Heating29,96317.9%2
Nicoya Construction Llc.25,50986.1%5
E.M. Duggan, Inc.19,03938.3%4
Pinnacle Piping & Service18,7266.6%2
Advanced Exteriors & Glazing of New England14,8704.6%1
Environmental Systems Engineering10,58333.1%4
Norfolk Design & Construction9,74597.7%6
Statewide Mechanical Services Inc.9,1201.6%2

Related occupations

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