How Much Money Does a Heating Technician Make?

Heating technicians follow architectural blueprints when installing heating systems.

A warm, cozy home on a cold winter's night: one of the more comforting benefits of modern construction. Heating technicians -- also known as heating installers or mechanics -- install, maintain and repair heating systems in residential and commercial buildings. Besides central heating and radiators, these technicians service hot-air furnaces, oil burners, solar panels, water-based heating systems and heating stoves, as well as any other electrical or gas heating system.

Average Pay

For the purposes of its May 2010 survey of employment trends in the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics categorized heating technicians alongside their colleagues working with air conditioning and refrigeration systems. It reported that the mean annual salary across this occupational grouping was $44,860. This equates to an hourly pay rate of $21.57 or a monthly income of $3,738. Those in the top 10 percent of earners received over $66,930, while their colleagues in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $26,490. At the time of publication, Simply Hired put the average yearly wage for a heating tech at $38,000.

Pay by Industry

According to the bureau's survey, by far the largest number of heating technicians works for building equipment contractors. The bureau listed the mean annual salary within this sector of the industry as $43,600. Technicians working within commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance earned a mean of $45,970, while individuals employed within hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers earned $48,840 per year. Those working within personal and household goods repair and maintenance received a yearly mean of $43,540.

Pay by Location

Location also influences a heating technician's income level. The bureau listed Alaska as the state in which, across all industry sectors, a heating technician, as well as an air conditioning or refrigeration tech, was most likely to secure the best pay rate, with an annual mean of $57,960. Close behind was District of Columbia at $57,720 and Hawaii at $55,080. Pennsylvania and Maine had similar wage levels -- $43,570 and $42,380, respectively -- while Vermont was listed amongst the states with the lowest salaries, just $39,050.

Prospects

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see a 28-percent increase in employment opportunities for heating technicians, as well as air conditioning and refrigeration techs, over the decade from 2008 to 2018. This is significantly faster growth than is expected of the country as a whole, across all occupations, which is at 7 to 13 percent for the same period. Population growth will spur more residential housing and commercial property development, which will have the knock-on effect of creating demand for technicians to repair, install and upgrade heating and cooling systems. As such, wage levels for heating technicians should remain competitive, particularly as the bureau expects there to be more vacancies than suitable candidates to fill them.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: December 2009
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages -- Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: May 2010
• Simply Hired: Heating Tech Salaries: August 2011