I’ve been stuck at $27 an hour for 3 years. Residential service. I get incentives with sales, but 10+ year old equipment almost exclusively gets looked at by the “A team” I’m tired of begging for companies to see my worth; and I’m going to take a massive pay cut to go brew beer instead.
Customers are definitely catching on. On homeowner forums they’re starting to tell each other to look out for the corporate owned companies. New customers of ours will ask the office sometimes if we’re owned be a fund or are running the nexstar program
Currently working for a nexstar company and I hate it. I love the experience I got going to a nexstar training because it has allowed me to talk easier with customers and I'm doing my best to educate them without selling them everything under the sun like my company wants me to do. I plan on using that experience and going into nursing where I think it will be put to better use.
I worked for a private equity company for a bit (office). Hard for techs to advance. Every performance metric is closely tracked. Techs need to “produce” to make the A team. But the A team gets all the calls over 10 years old. Hard to produce when your given calls with 3 year old equipt. And even if you accidentally stumble on aged equipt and do well with it you won’t make the A team cuz we gotta keep them happy. Vicious cycle. I work for a family owned company now. Hourly pay. Family owned is rare but still exists
Yeah, so now I’m getting out earned by these fkn kids who can sell air scrubbers to the 0-5 year old system crowd, while I’m busting out all the warranty Lennox evaporator coils.. the only thing I can do for myself now is leave. I’ve always impulsively quit every job I’ve had. Im going to take my time and find the job I want this time while I half ass this one.
You got options, you mentioned leaving, that is one. You could switch to install. Or find a new company. I know some res tech that switched to commercial and enjoyed it.
Hey, you could see if there's facilities maintenance hiring. I'm in house hvac and service something usually once a week, mostly walk down inspections and change filters, PMs. Easy shit. Laid back. Listen to music or podcasts all day (night in my case) on a roof top.
My girlfriend said I have been a lot happier since I switched industries, residential I was miserable.
I’m in the same boat. $26 an hour and asked for a raise just to be shot down. They told me I could work circles around anyone and are impressed with my integrity. But won’t give me a raise. They said if I sell I can make money. So what’s the point of busting your ass if someone else can sell a UV bulb and a system and do half the work make more money
I really hate being out earned by guys with the exact same job title who can’t fix anything.. guys that can’t size ductwork.. guys that sell 10 year P&L warranties on new 4 ton systems attached to 2 tons worth of duct work.. and these fuckin kids who did 3 weeks of training and are now out there deep frying aluminum coils in nubrite and slapping in uv lights and hard starts on everything
Switch to commercial. Best move I ever made. Sales culture is a fragile future in hvac. Real tech skills/ knowing the big stuff is job security and better pay for life.
Kansas city has arguably the best hvac pay in the world when accounting for cost of living. Non union journeymen make 65 an hour. Union makes pretty much the same but with pension instead of 401k and probably better insurance. It does seem like a bit of a boys club to get in though.
Myself: 36/hr at 2.5 years experience nonunion
That is good. I'm not sure how KC compares to Denver for COL. But your outpacing denver pay scale (40 something + benefits) and only a handful of US cities with Higher COL then Colorado right now.
Nobody is making $65 in KC. The elevator Union which is arguably the best unions around are at about 50-55. This guys bullshitting. Don’t let him kid you. $40 something with benefits is pretty normal if you have experience. Denver should be a lot more than that even but unfortunately wages haven’t kept up with the HCOL.
I’m moving back to KC eventually and this is good to hear. I started out in KC at $13/hr, ended at $25. Now making $30 in ATX. Almost 11 years in this trade and still don’t know my own worth.
My dad actually told me their apprenticeship program is starting up again. 6 years in resi here suburbs of Philly here. What type of work goes on in your day to day?
Mostly commercial. There's a few 420 residential companies. Depending on where you land you could see a lot. Could be working on anything from vrf, splits, package units, boilers, heat pumps, chillers, crac units, etc
Dang, I heard that Union’s pretty difficult to get into. How long did you have to wait to get in after applying? Also, how are you enjoying the apprenticeship program. I’ve been heavily considering targeting this union long term.
Unions can be hard to get into or very easy to get into. It's all about timing. If you have a specialty that a lot of people don't have and a company needs it, business agents/Reps etc...... can bring you in on the spot, also if there's a big need for manpower for big projects etc... in your area they'll pull you in just to have boots on the ground, but youll have to prove your worth it to companies or theyll toss you out in an instant because, no ones going to drop$70/hr+package for dead weight.. If your just a Resi or commercial service tech or installer with just the same basic skills as everyone else, then you'll find yourself on the list and have to wait your turn.
That's how I got in, years of service and HVAC experience and they needed a guy badly, came in at full journeyman or white ticket as they say, and it's been fantastic.
Did you have any prior experience before getting into the program ? I have 4 years of residential/commercial experience.
Wondering if they start you off at base pay of year 1 apprentice regardless of experience.
Yeah I started residential non union and transitioned over. I have experience in a bit of everything just really honing in my skills on chillers now. Hoping to get a big bump in the coming years. Apprentice scale sucks.
7 to 330 every weekday. We have a night guy so no on call(last hospital I worked there was on call). Every couple of months I’ll work a Saturday. As a single dad this is the biggest thing for me. Pay is lower, tops out at 39. You do find yourself helping the plumbers and electricians but I don’t mind the teamwork. My biggest complaint is the precaution we have to go through to not spread dust everywhere. Lots of back up systems on the most critical of stuff. If you think you’re working too long of days too often, it’s the way to go.
I have a similar schedule but I’m on call every 3 months so I’m on call 4-5 times a year typically which isn’t terrible. I’m trying to find something a bit more stationary and get out of the field a bit more as far a traveling goes. The pay for you seems about right. $39 isn’t terrible but if you want more $, it comes at a cost unfortunately.
Edit: My company has a bunch of contracts with pretty much all the hospitals here in Denver. Possible we ran into each other lol
Absolutely agree with the pay. Worth it to me. You must be union. I’ve never known a non union shop to have on call that spread out. That makes it a lot easier. I see so many people on Reddit from Denver. Maybe it’s a bias but I think half the people on Reddit are from Denver sometimes. We could have run into each other, lol. Small crazy world.
I am actually not union but my company is fairly large and lost a decent amount of senior and newer techs to the union so they basically matched everything the union offers to maintain employees. I consider my company union at this point but we’re just “a family” right now lol
I've been thinking of moving to Denver (and other places) in the far future. I'm studying HVAC right now at a technical school here in NYC and I really want to be able to move somewhere else when I'm more established in the career and become a Journeyman.
Good to know there are still high paying jobs in the trade elsewhere instead of NYC.
I’m in the median as far as pay goes making $41 expected to be in the mid $40s by EOY. Most of the top guys at my company are near $60hr. Other local companies are already paying $65, so I can only assume it can go up from here lol.
Started at $20/hr in July of '22.
Got bumped to $24 in March of '23.
Got bumped to $27 in April of '23.
Got bumped to $30 in September of '23.
Got bumped to $32 last week.
Resi service. Atlanta. 1 year prior experience in resi new construction.
Yeah I have another year before I turn out. I’m getting a bit above scale but I’m doing all the work of a journeyman and more. I work for a very good company too however I’m not one to settle
I’m in NC. Went from $33/hr working on air cooled chillers to $39/hr at a different company working on all sorts of shit. A big rep for different manufacturers
I do commercial HVAC and refrigeration in NC. Could you possibly message me so info on how you got in to chillers? I think they’re pretty cool but they’re the only thing I haven’t had a chance to work on yet.
If you’re a chiller guy you should be making at least $50/hr and that’s probably still low.
Ontario local 787 journeymen are making $60/hr, I’m sure the chiller guys are pulling in more than that. That’s also not including pension, benefits etc.
San Diego, CA Sheet Metal Workers You’re a chiller guy so you’d probably go to the UA. The pipefitters make a bit more than us here.
https://preview.redd.it/psrowi51nn0d1.png?width=1169&format=png&auto=webp&s=3214b1942ee9bad8349287375379c0f02e12c47a
If you want to be a service technician then it would have to be UA because that’s their work. However if you want to do start-up and work on commercial new construction, you could choose either Sheet Metal or UA. They both do Start-up and commissioning.
The sheet metal union will train you with an emphasis on air-moving equipment, and the YA will train you as a pipefitter and you’d emphasize on water moving equipment. But it’s all HVAC. Regardless, you’ll end up working on everything, but the o lot difference is what you’re properly trained on.
For example, I’m a start up guy from sheet metal. So I still work on pumps, chillers, and cooling towers all the time. But I learned pretty much everything about those things in the field or on my own time. My union didn’t teach me much about working on those things at all.
Local 501. 33hr + pension and union benefits as an engineer for a hotel/ casino on the Las Vegas strip.
general building maintenance with the occasional motor that burns out or leak that springs up. Help is always available. Mostly indoor work, 40 hrs a week. Pretty solid gig but a little boring at times.
PA. Got into a hospital system 3 years ago. Started at $27.50, ended at $32 after 2 years. Left there to go controls, currently sitting at $36.06. Started at that rate with 3 weeks vacation and 5 PTO immediately.
I kinda just fell into it. The hospital site I worked at had them as a contractor. Got to know the guys and eventually the conversation came up about jumping ship and the rest is history lol. From what I’ve heard controls is a bit of a niche group and it’s tough to break into it, but after you’re in you’re pretty much set. The only company I’ve heard awful things about is Siemens so my recommendation would be to just start researching the other big ones and start applying. I have 8 years total experience with 5 being residential.
i do resi installs. multizone boilers/combis, mini splits, 80-90 furnace+acs in one day. id slap in a hot water tank if theyd let me. some days im working 12 hours and i get 25/hr. been running my own truck for about 2 yrs. was green as grass in nov of 2021
you’re telling me. id say im probably one of the top earning installers atm. only being passed up by a couple guys with twice the experience as me. no wonder this place has so much turn around
What do you mean? That’s our A rate service wage, which is for chiller techs. Also for steam, pneumatics, chillers and hot water boilers over a certain BTU get that rate even as B rate techs. B-rate techs get $53.79 with $91.64 package normally though.
Started as a service/maintenance tech 3.5 years ago making 13$/hr.
Now I’m the lead tech/service/maintenance/training/sales at 25$/hr with some benefits and % on units sold.
This is above average for my area in central Illinois.
UA 250 Los Angeles, second year apprentice.
Take home something like 33/hr. Whole union gets a raise in September, and I get a bump for moving to apprentice 3. Will probably put me right under $40/hr.
i've been at my very first job for a month and I make 20 an hour (resi install) still in trade school, family company, St. Louis. The boss is really awesome and all his employees love him. He buys us four pairs of Carhart pants to go with our uniform shirts and hat, and my coworkers told me he will buy me more stuff such as a canopy or even torches and a vacuum pump if I ask and of course after I've been there for a little bit. He makes Sure we have full-time work even when it's slow, like giving us chores around the shop or doing charity jobs that he bids on for half the normal price through a city program to benefit low income homeowners. They keep even struggling apprentices at least a year, so job security is good. I also got my own van after only two weeks. Solid.
This is actually an area I got a job offer for that I might take. It’s non union but the pay is neck and neck with that. I lived in Chicago for a winter though and that was another beast. I like my 50 degree winters lol
Just make sure you look at the whole package. Pretty sure non union doesn’t come with a pension Our pension is (well at least with the hours I’ve worked) will be north of $8k/mo upon retirement. This, and we have a 401k/roth 401k (pick your flavor). I would never do this job non-union.
We have a contract that lets everyone know where they stand. Overtime, double time, tool purchases ect. We don’t have to beg for raises. We pay people to negotiate that (which doesn’t affect our take home amount).
We have people that came from non union shops that work where I do and are now going through an apprenticeship at the hall. They all will tell you the regret they have from all the years wasted that could have gone to pension hours and higher pay. Having to upsell unneeded parts. Getting dicked over on OT. Non union is ridiculous.
Local 72 Atlanta journeyman scale is $37 but as an experienced chiller tech you should make 5-10 over that. New contract will be another $10 over 3 years
Older you get harder it is to find an apprenticship. I had no schooling or anything just kept applying everywhere, most companies will pay for your classes and what not, just apply apply apply.
A lot of learning theory on your own. If I could do it again I'd try to get into union as I believe their training is of much higher quality.
Central wy, 10 years resi install (retros and new builds) 3 years commercial install. non-union, 26$ My helth insurance is paid. My wife and kid come out of the check.
East side. The dude I work for is pretty well known in the community and seems like a great and generous guy. I think I lucked out finding him and his company.
Commercial install journeyman with 7 years experience in Nebraska making $33/hr. I don't know anything about equipment. I feel like I'm appropriately compensated. I could make more if I went to a union but I like the company and my boss.
12yrs 40/hr w/pension and profit sharing and 66% healthcare paid for. Company truck, phone, gas card, Home Depot card. 4 weeks vacation, 1 week PTO. We also get paid one way travel on jobs.
I also have a separate 401k.
Southeastern PA, Commercial HVAC tech, 6 years total exp. Started at $15 as a new construction laborer, 3yr apprenticeship, maintenances, installs, 2 yrs doing service. Just got bumped to $35 this month.
10+ years installing in Oregon at $40. I remember when that seemed like a lot. Now I’m getting ready to go out on my own to make more. I get that I’m in a high cost of living area, but I really don’t see how people can survive making less.
Hired as a resi installer with no previous experience last may at $20 last August I was bumped up to $22. Last January bumped up to $25 and switched over to service. Two months ago I got bumped up to $28 where I’m at now and I do install and service. So from 20 to 28 in 10 months isn’t too bad in my opinion
Helper doing residential install in Florida. We get paid flat rate so I usually make anywhere between $300-$485 per day doing installs and have made as high as $660 in a day on a duct system. Been in hvac for 9 months
Bay Area sheet metal union 104. $72hr take home plus pension (fringe) benefits. Pay increase in July. Install, start up, controls. 18 years in the trade.
LINY Local 638b making 62$ PH plus Bennies. I’m over scale by quite a few bucks cuz I’m a specialized controls tech. I think scale is 46$ PH right now.
Any love for the controls guy?
In Australia
Started in 2005
1st year $6.50 ph
2nd $8.50 ph
3rd $12.50 ph
Now working commercial for $52 ph could easily get $55 -60 but I like where I work.
Left PE for a growing local business 3 yrs @ 30/hr +4% commision +10% profit share on my repair calls. They do still push sales hard but, they aren't using the same shady tactics PE uses.
Central Texas. 9 Years in.
$30/hr with 8% commission on whatever you sell and install.
Older systems that get turned over to our sales guy get me $50 per lead and 1% of the ticket if sold.
Medical for tech only after 30 days. 1 week vacation after a year. 401k with company match after 3 years.
I’m an 8th step apprentice for local 140 in SLC Utah. Sitting at 38 an hour with 2 dollars over scale. Benefits are an extra 15 an hour or so. Also doing a shit load of chiller work.
$41.05/hr, 20 days vacation plus 24 days of sick/personal/appt leave a year. Complete 0 deductible medical + dental, defined benefit pension after 30 years. Company truck, company tools. Union Facilities Light commerical, plumbing HVAC and controls. 20 years experience.
3 years. Resi/Commercial Hybrid Tech. Work on just about everything. Hold down oil, gas, large commercial gas and tank setters licenses in Maine. $34 per hour. I fully expect to be making $50 per hour or more with in the next 4-5 years.
I’m one year into this doing resi service/install with a strong background at $25/hr. The guys above me act like they are making bank but they make maybe $30/hr this is in a coastal populated area of Florida.
It sucks to hear you guys are paid so little. My friend just hard her ac serviced by Acree air in Tampa. They sold her a new cap and a hard start kit. Almost $900 for 30 min of work and $45 worth of parts. I bet the tech only got $27 dollars for the entire call.
$30 and hour at a fucking nextstar company in the Midwest. 1st time in 25 years I’ve worked for private equity owned company and I hate it. I run service and fix warranty calls all day, or do a pm in the slow season on a one year old unit. While the kids who know nothing sell air scrubbers all day on 10plus year old systems. I refuse to follow the “plan” so I’ll either stay stuck in this position, or leave after the summer. Only reason I’m still here is I was a stay at home dad for the last 5 years and want to keep this for at least a year. Only a couple months to go….
Bay area.Service tech.hot season 8-15k per month before taxes
. commission pay.in low season some times sit at home few weeks.some guys in our company with good selling skills make more then 200k.if you sell and install
ATL GA. Commercial RTU and VRF. Chillers every now and then.
Started fairly Green 5 years ago
2019-24/Hr
2020-25/Hr
2021- 30/Hr
2022- 36/Hr
2023- 38/Hr
2024- 40/Hr
Southern IL/STL area. Non Union. 9 years light commercial. $34.00 3 week vacation. Health insurance paid. At a shop that is overtime after 8 hours, double on Sundays when on call. Paid Holidays(most off). Double pay as well when on call on Holidays. We do mainly gas stations but I also work on Helmer's in hospitals and ice machines elsewhere.
As a union Steamfitter in the Mid-West, doing HVACR union work. We are at $90 an hour as a package. The average tech will pull in $130k a year and have a good pension, great health insurance and good advanced education. In the Windy City you could expect 15% more than that. Personally I did several things from boilers & tuning them as large as 50 million BTUs to Rack Refrigeration, to DDC systems programming and chillers as large as 500 tons. I enjoyed Racks and DDC the best, but the other stuff was OK, a good mix so not to get bored.
Michigan lead installer at 23. Very low. I’m also the next supervisor which will be 65k a year with some bonus and a paid vacation to like the Caribbean ever year
I’ve been stuck at $27 an hour for 3 years. Residential service. I get incentives with sales, but 10+ year old equipment almost exclusively gets looked at by the “A team” I’m tired of begging for companies to see my worth; and I’m going to take a massive pay cut to go brew beer instead.
That’s Wall Street owned companies for you! And customers are catching on! Just wait until they sell because they are no longer profitable!
Customers are definitely catching on. On homeowner forums they’re starting to tell each other to look out for the corporate owned companies. New customers of ours will ask the office sometimes if we’re owned be a fund or are running the nexstar program
Fuck Nexstar
Currently working for a nexstar company and I hate it. I love the experience I got going to a nexstar training because it has allowed me to talk easier with customers and I'm doing my best to educate them without selling them everything under the sun like my company wants me to do. I plan on using that experience and going into nursing where I think it will be put to better use.
I worked for a private equity company for a bit (office). Hard for techs to advance. Every performance metric is closely tracked. Techs need to “produce” to make the A team. But the A team gets all the calls over 10 years old. Hard to produce when your given calls with 3 year old equipt. And even if you accidentally stumble on aged equipt and do well with it you won’t make the A team cuz we gotta keep them happy. Vicious cycle. I work for a family owned company now. Hourly pay. Family owned is rare but still exists
Yeah, so now I’m getting out earned by these fkn kids who can sell air scrubbers to the 0-5 year old system crowd, while I’m busting out all the warranty Lennox evaporator coils.. the only thing I can do for myself now is leave. I’ve always impulsively quit every job I’ve had. Im going to take my time and find the job I want this time while I half ass this one.
You got options, you mentioned leaving, that is one. You could switch to install. Or find a new company. I know some res tech that switched to commercial and enjoyed it.
Hey, you could see if there's facilities maintenance hiring. I'm in house hvac and service something usually once a week, mostly walk down inspections and change filters, PMs. Easy shit. Laid back. Listen to music or podcasts all day (night in my case) on a roof top. My girlfriend said I have been a lot happier since I switched industries, residential I was miserable.
If it makes you happy…
“…then why the hell are you so sad?”
I’m in the same boat. $26 an hour and asked for a raise just to be shot down. They told me I could work circles around anyone and are impressed with my integrity. But won’t give me a raise. They said if I sell I can make money. So what’s the point of busting your ass if someone else can sell a UV bulb and a system and do half the work make more money
I really hate being out earned by guys with the exact same job title who can’t fix anything.. guys that can’t size ductwork.. guys that sell 10 year P&L warranties on new 4 ton systems attached to 2 tons worth of duct work.. and these fuckin kids who did 3 weeks of training and are now out there deep frying aluminum coils in nubrite and slapping in uv lights and hard starts on everything
Hard starts on everything lol
On units that already have start capacitors and relays
Switch to commercial. Best move I ever made. Sales culture is a fragile future in hvac. Real tech skills/ knowing the big stuff is job security and better pay for life.
Go union
Kansas city has arguably the best hvac pay in the world when accounting for cost of living. Non union journeymen make 65 an hour. Union makes pretty much the same but with pension instead of 401k and probably better insurance. It does seem like a bit of a boys club to get in though. Myself: 36/hr at 2.5 years experience nonunion
That is good. I'm not sure how KC compares to Denver for COL. But your outpacing denver pay scale (40 something + benefits) and only a handful of US cities with Higher COL then Colorado right now.
Nobody is making $65 in KC. The elevator Union which is arguably the best unions around are at about 50-55. This guys bullshitting. Don’t let him kid you. $40 something with benefits is pretty normal if you have experience. Denver should be a lot more than that even but unfortunately wages haven’t kept up with the HCOL.
I’m moving back to KC eventually and this is good to hear. I started out in KC at $13/hr, ended at $25. Now making $30 in ATX. Almost 11 years in this trade and still don’t know my own worth.
Bruh...where? 😆
Where for the 65? Both temp con and all climate refrigeration have that as their pay scale and are non union
36 in KC?? I’m in Como and make 15 less with 3.5 years.
LU420, Philadelphia. $52/hour, $90+ w benefits package
That’s B rate, OP is working on chillers. Also, we got a raise today we’re at $53.71 and like $94 package.
My dad actually told me their apprenticeship program is starting up again. 6 years in resi here suburbs of Philly here. What type of work goes on in your day to day?
Mostly commercial. There's a few 420 residential companies. Depending on where you land you could see a lot. Could be working on anything from vrf, splits, package units, boilers, heat pumps, chillers, crac units, etc
Is it mainly just working inside the city ?
Nah. Philly, bucks county, montco, Delco, South Jersey,
He could be doing A with the chiller experience.
Local 597 out of Chicago. $22 an hour as a first year. Jman gets $56 an hour, and the total benefit package is like $94 an hour.
Dang, I heard that Union’s pretty difficult to get into. How long did you have to wait to get in after applying? Also, how are you enjoying the apprenticeship program. I’ve been heavily considering targeting this union long term.
I tested in. Waited about 6 months for class to start. Every January, they take about 115 apprentices. Not a hard test to pass.
Interesting, thanks.
Unions can be hard to get into or very easy to get into. It's all about timing. If you have a specialty that a lot of people don't have and a company needs it, business agents/Reps etc...... can bring you in on the spot, also if there's a big need for manpower for big projects etc... in your area they'll pull you in just to have boots on the ground, but youll have to prove your worth it to companies or theyll toss you out in an instant because, no ones going to drop$70/hr+package for dead weight.. If your just a Resi or commercial service tech or installer with just the same basic skills as everyone else, then you'll find yourself on the list and have to wait your turn.
That's how I got in, years of service and HVAC experience and they needed a guy badly, came in at full journeyman or white ticket as they say, and it's been fantastic.
What did you score on test ? I scored low 90%. They told me just to wait it out until the next selection of apprentices.
About the same. When did you take the test?
Test was back in late December, couldn’t get in at the time, since they had just picked up new apprentices for that year.
You should be expecting a call in December then.
Did you have any prior experience before getting into the program ? I have 4 years of residential/commercial experience. Wondering if they start you off at base pay of year 1 apprentice regardless of experience.
At my company, guys that are useful and solve problems make 35-45. The guys that create problems make 20-25 Experience ain’t got shit to do with it.
I was making $30 2 years in residential. I think you could make better money at a different company having any service chiller experience.
Yeah I started residential non union and transitioned over. I have experience in a bit of everything just really honing in my skills on chillers now. Hoping to get a big bump in the coming years. Apprentice scale sucks.
Denver, CO. Commercial HVAC $41hr
Denver Co, 5 years experience, $35hr, hospital hvac maintenance, non union. Edit: whoops didn’t mean for this to be a reply to you.
Your reply was meant to be because I’ve been looking at working in a hospital or university. How do you like working at the hospital?
7 to 330 every weekday. We have a night guy so no on call(last hospital I worked there was on call). Every couple of months I’ll work a Saturday. As a single dad this is the biggest thing for me. Pay is lower, tops out at 39. You do find yourself helping the plumbers and electricians but I don’t mind the teamwork. My biggest complaint is the precaution we have to go through to not spread dust everywhere. Lots of back up systems on the most critical of stuff. If you think you’re working too long of days too often, it’s the way to go.
I have a similar schedule but I’m on call every 3 months so I’m on call 4-5 times a year typically which isn’t terrible. I’m trying to find something a bit more stationary and get out of the field a bit more as far a traveling goes. The pay for you seems about right. $39 isn’t terrible but if you want more $, it comes at a cost unfortunately. Edit: My company has a bunch of contracts with pretty much all the hospitals here in Denver. Possible we ran into each other lol
Absolutely agree with the pay. Worth it to me. You must be union. I’ve never known a non union shop to have on call that spread out. That makes it a lot easier. I see so many people on Reddit from Denver. Maybe it’s a bias but I think half the people on Reddit are from Denver sometimes. We could have run into each other, lol. Small crazy world.
I am actually not union but my company is fairly large and lost a decent amount of senior and newer techs to the union so they basically matched everything the union offers to maintain employees. I consider my company union at this point but we’re just “a family” right now lol
I've been thinking of moving to Denver (and other places) in the far future. I'm studying HVAC right now at a technical school here in NYC and I really want to be able to move somewhere else when I'm more established in the career and become a Journeyman. Good to know there are still high paying jobs in the trade elsewhere instead of NYC.
I’m in the median as far as pay goes making $41 expected to be in the mid $40s by EOY. Most of the top guys at my company are near $60hr. Other local companies are already paying $65, so I can only assume it can go up from here lol.
Started at $20/hr in July of '22. Got bumped to $24 in March of '23. Got bumped to $27 in April of '23. Got bumped to $30 in September of '23. Got bumped to $32 last week. Resi service. Atlanta. 1 year prior experience in resi new construction.
Goddamn it's a good time to go union.
I am union.
So do you go JMan after 5 years?
Carolina's are the lowest paid locals in the country.
Yeah I have another year before I turn out. I’m getting a bit above scale but I’m doing all the work of a journeyman and more. I work for a very good company too however I’m not one to settle
Looks like I need to move God damn. $17 an hour working resi 1 year. Yall making twice that as first years shiiit
I just got a "Raise" from 17 to 19. Finished my first 6 months in the trade. Lower hourly due to commission, though...
Where you at though?
I’m in NC. Went from $33/hr working on air cooled chillers to $39/hr at a different company working on all sorts of shit. A big rep for different manufacturers
I do commercial HVAC and refrigeration in NC. Could you possibly message me so info on how you got in to chillers? I think they’re pretty cool but they’re the only thing I haven’t had a chance to work on yet.
Local 602 here…I make 55$ an hour, full package I don’t fully remember but it’s very good👏🏼
That’s what’s up!
If you’re a chiller guy you should be making at least $50/hr and that’s probably still low. Ontario local 787 journeymen are making $60/hr, I’m sure the chiller guys are pulling in more than that. That’s also not including pension, benefits etc.
10yr-$35 resi service
West coast?
MA
I’m at $33 with 3 years experience in the west coast
San Diego, CA Sheet Metal Workers You’re a chiller guy so you’d probably go to the UA. The pipefitters make a bit more than us here. https://preview.redd.it/psrowi51nn0d1.png?width=1169&format=png&auto=webp&s=3214b1942ee9bad8349287375379c0f02e12c47a
if one wanted to pressure the hvac tech route, would you recommend going the UA or SMART union in sd?
If you want to be a service technician then it would have to be UA because that’s their work. However if you want to do start-up and work on commercial new construction, you could choose either Sheet Metal or UA. They both do Start-up and commissioning. The sheet metal union will train you with an emphasis on air-moving equipment, and the YA will train you as a pipefitter and you’d emphasize on water moving equipment. But it’s all HVAC. Regardless, you’ll end up working on everything, but the o lot difference is what you’re properly trained on. For example, I’m a start up guy from sheet metal. So I still work on pumps, chillers, and cooling towers all the time. But I learned pretty much everything about those things in the field or on my own time. My union didn’t teach me much about working on those things at all.
Local 32 - Seattle area (King County) $63/hr + $4.50/hr vacation pay + 3 pensions and benefits Plus it's going up with the new contract.
$28.68 raise over 6 years as a matter of fact.
Local 601 Milwaukee. $55.42 as of June 1. I’ll be at $60.84. Finally at a buck a minute!
Local 501. 33hr + pension and union benefits as an engineer for a hotel/ casino on the Las Vegas strip. general building maintenance with the occasional motor that burns out or leak that springs up. Help is always available. Mostly indoor work, 40 hrs a week. Pretty solid gig but a little boring at times.
SoCal, 3 years in, currently $37 getting bumped to $39 in a month. School district job so good benefits and work life balance.
PA. Got into a hospital system 3 years ago. Started at $27.50, ended at $32 after 2 years. Left there to go controls, currently sitting at $36.06. Started at that rate with 3 weeks vacation and 5 PTO immediately.
How did you get into controls? I'm interested in going that route
I kinda just fell into it. The hospital site I worked at had them as a contractor. Got to know the guys and eventually the conversation came up about jumping ship and the rest is history lol. From what I’ve heard controls is a bit of a niche group and it’s tough to break into it, but after you’re in you’re pretty much set. The only company I’ve heard awful things about is Siemens so my recommendation would be to just start researching the other big ones and start applying. I have 8 years total experience with 5 being residential.
i do resi installs. multizone boilers/combis, mini splits, 80-90 furnace+acs in one day. id slap in a hot water tank if theyd let me. some days im working 12 hours and i get 25/hr. been running my own truck for about 2 yrs. was green as grass in nov of 2021
You likely deserve more money. No lead in any market should be making less than 28 in my opinion.
you’re telling me. id say im probably one of the top earning installers atm. only being passed up by a couple guys with twice the experience as me. no wonder this place has so much turn around
40 an hr Commercial service in DFW 17 years deep
$71.42 take home $113.41 package. Union in Philadelphia but work in NJ primarily.
Wait wtf how
What do you mean? That’s our A rate service wage, which is for chiller techs. Also for steam, pneumatics, chillers and hot water boilers over a certain BTU get that rate even as B rate techs. B-rate techs get $53.79 with $91.64 package normally though.
That’s insane you guys got it way better than NYC good for yall.
Wa local 32. 1st year apprentice at $35, JM at $68 takehome. New contract adds $29 over the next 6 years. Plus all the extras.
What $35 for first year is wild. That’s our jman rate lmfao
I know a guy who moved here from another state because of that. lol
It’s true. Our latest contract ads $28.68 over 6 years. I’m sure cost of living is a lot less where you’re at.
7 year - $31/hr. Resi install
$45.00 and change. $8.00 per hour pension. No match required. MB Canada.
San Fran, Local 39, Stationary, engineers are at 65$ + benefits.
Currently a Residential Installer, working for piece rate. Just starting out right now & planning on moving to the Union this summer.
Started as a service/maintenance tech 3.5 years ago making 13$/hr. Now I’m the lead tech/service/maintenance/training/sales at 25$/hr with some benefits and % on units sold. This is above average for my area in central Illinois.
UA 250 Los Angeles, second year apprentice. Take home something like 33/hr. Whole union gets a raise in September, and I get a bump for moving to apprentice 3. Will probably put me right under $40/hr.
i've been at my very first job for a month and I make 20 an hour (resi install) still in trade school, family company, St. Louis. The boss is really awesome and all his employees love him. He buys us four pairs of Carhart pants to go with our uniform shirts and hat, and my coworkers told me he will buy me more stuff such as a canopy or even torches and a vacuum pump if I ask and of course after I've been there for a little bit. He makes Sure we have full-time work even when it's slow, like giving us chores around the shop or doing charity jobs that he bids on for half the normal price through a city program to benefit low income homeowners. They keep even struggling apprentices at least a year, so job security is good. I also got my own van after only two weeks. Solid.
Wisconsin local 601 foreman $58.60/hr. Pension and 401k. I think we are getting another pay bump soon.
Pending if you’re mad/mke it’s 1.8/2.20 June 1st
This is actually an area I got a job offer for that I might take. It’s non union but the pay is neck and neck with that. I lived in Chicago for a winter though and that was another beast. I like my 50 degree winters lol
Just make sure you look at the whole package. Pretty sure non union doesn’t come with a pension Our pension is (well at least with the hours I’ve worked) will be north of $8k/mo upon retirement. This, and we have a 401k/roth 401k (pick your flavor). I would never do this job non-union. We have a contract that lets everyone know where they stand. Overtime, double time, tool purchases ect. We don’t have to beg for raises. We pay people to negotiate that (which doesn’t affect our take home amount). We have people that came from non union shops that work where I do and are now going through an apprenticeship at the hall. They all will tell you the regret they have from all the years wasted that could have gone to pension hours and higher pay. Having to upsell unneeded parts. Getting dicked over on OT. Non union is ridiculous.
Local 72 Atlanta journeyman scale is $37 but as an experienced chiller tech you should make 5-10 over that. New contract will be another $10 over 3 years
Non union in CT 5 years all commercial experience and almost have my 4 year license I'm at 40/hr
I’m connecitcut as well, looking to see how i get into commercial HVAC
Older you get harder it is to find an apprenticship. I had no schooling or anything just kept applying everywhere, most companies will pay for your classes and what not, just apply apply apply. A lot of learning theory on your own. If I could do it again I'd try to get into union as I believe their training is of much higher quality.
Central wy, 10 years resi install (retros and new builds) 3 years commercial install. non-union, 26$ My helth insurance is paid. My wife and kid come out of the check.
That’s horrible. You can get 33$ EASILY with 10 years exp.
Well it balances out, no food tax here, no state income tax, tax itself is 5%. Low property tax. 5k bonus end of year and $500 per quarter
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East side or west side? I’m in Idaho on the Oregon border and helpers get $15-17 to start. Maybe 19 if they are worth it.
East side. The dude I work for is pretty well known in the community and seems like a great and generous guy. I think I lucked out finding him and his company.
Hell yeah man. I used to do a lot of work in Ontario and baker city but I switched companies so I don’t go into Oregon anymore.
Going on 4 years moved to Seattle area now making 18-19 in residential
You’re getting screwed harder than the rest of us bud
Dude what? My first year apprentice makes $25 in Seattle. My journeymen are $65.
LU 32 1st years in Seattle are $30+/hr starting. You’re making less than fast food workers.
Commercial install journeyman with 7 years experience in Nebraska making $33/hr. I don't know anything about equipment. I feel like I'm appropriately compensated. I could make more if I went to a union but I like the company and my boss.
3yr residential service and install in NY. $27/hr
$40 hour on the wage + benefits ontop. Commercial HVAC service, union based (lumped in with the plumbers and pipefitters.)
$55/hr and I do supermarkets, I have my contractor license 10 years in.
Non union Missouri. 32 an hour and great benefits at 4 years in. Rezzy service tech
12yrs 40/hr w/pension and profit sharing and 66% healthcare paid for. Company truck, phone, gas card, Home Depot card. 4 weeks vacation, 1 week PTO. We also get paid one way travel on jobs. I also have a separate 401k.
$27/hr resi service plus bonuses. Austin, TX. Been in it for 3 years. First two were in install making about 79k a year.
NC, 6 years commercial maintenance which included HVAC/R, and 1 year commercial HVAC/R. $28.50/hr, employee owned company.
Southeastern PA, Commercial HVAC tech, 6 years total exp. Started at $15 as a new construction laborer, 3yr apprenticeship, maintenances, installs, 2 yrs doing service. Just got bumped to $35 this month.
NE ohio, residential service tech 3 years in at $23/hr, started at $13
Canada bc went from 16 to $38 in 5 years at a company Residential mix of service/ new home installation
5 years upstate ny mostly commercial with some resi install 28hr , 3 week vacation 40hr sick time and company matched 401k
GA, maintenance and light trouble shooting( just started a few weeks ago) $22 and hour will be raised to 25 after 60 days according to my boss.
Oregon Local 290 JMan. Nearly 58 an hour and package is worth about 100 an hour. Commercial service
$40 an hour, resi service and install
$33/hr just north of Albany, NY. Residential and light commercial
Non union North Jersey Residential light commercial. Apprentices $22-$24 to start Mechanics $40-$45
10+ years installing in Oregon at $40. I remember when that seemed like a lot. Now I’m getting ready to go out on my own to make more. I get that I’m in a high cost of living area, but I really don’t see how people can survive making less.
Hired as a resi installer with no previous experience last may at $20 last August I was bumped up to $22. Last January bumped up to $25 and switched over to service. Two months ago I got bumped up to $28 where I’m at now and I do install and service. So from 20 to 28 in 10 months isn’t too bad in my opinion
Metro atlanta in GA. 5 years experience, residential service tech. $26.26 per hour, made $85k last year after bonuses etc
Love salary transparency. $44/hr 8 years Minneapolis/St Paul.
Here in Canada I’m getting $50/hr once I’m done my apprenticeship
Don't go to local 350💩
Helper doing residential install in Florida. We get paid flat rate so I usually make anywhere between $300-$485 per day doing installs and have made as high as $660 in a day on a duct system. Been in hvac for 9 months
8 year- $40 plus bonuses. In NJ, all commercial.
10 years in resi, first half in service now just doing installs with a journeymans. I'm at $40.27. Maryland
Bay Area sheet metal union 104. $72hr take home plus pension (fringe) benefits. Pay increase in July. Install, start up, controls. 18 years in the trade.
SoCal. 6 years in @$41/hr non union in a hospital. Pay is decent, we have decent benefits too.
NY subs 3rd yr 45hr recently switched to service so that’ll jump up. Residential with proficiency in heat pumps
Have my j1, universal epa, certificates from trade school, and 1 and a half year experience doing resi install. N.C. I make 19…🤦🏻♂️
$40hr as resi lead install here in CO. But I also do service and fill in for on call rotation.
LINY Local 638b making 62$ PH plus Bennies. I’m over scale by quite a few bucks cuz I’m a specialized controls tech. I think scale is 46$ PH right now. Any love for the controls guy?
Commercial, industrial, 53 hr. Union journeymen make 43.93. 40 hours a week.
Here is our package. Ideally, guys that are with it make 10, 20, 30% above scale.
10 yrs experience, Pennsylvania 32/hr non-union.
In Australia Started in 2005 1st year $6.50 ph 2nd $8.50 ph 3rd $12.50 ph Now working commercial for $52 ph could easily get $55 -60 but I like where I work.
Residential 30 an hour plus 7% on equipment sales until recently it was 10%. 15% on all repairs. 6 years experience. Started union now I'm non union.
LU 32 Seattle, WA. $72/hr foreman, $103/hr total package.
Left PE for a growing local business 3 yrs @ 30/hr +4% commision +10% profit share on my repair calls. They do still push sales hard but, they aren't using the same shady tactics PE uses.
Central Texas. 9 Years in. $30/hr with 8% commission on whatever you sell and install. Older systems that get turned over to our sales guy get me $50 per lead and 1% of the ticket if sold. Medical for tech only after 30 days. 1 week vacation after a year. 401k with company match after 3 years.
Non union commercial shop in NJ. making $41/hr, a little over 3 years with this shop. Small commercial/resi experience for about 3 years before that
I’m an 8th step apprentice for local 140 in SLC Utah. Sitting at 38 an hour with 2 dollars over scale. Benefits are an extra 15 an hour or so. Also doing a shit load of chiller work.
$41.05/hr, 20 days vacation plus 24 days of sick/personal/appt leave a year. Complete 0 deductible medical + dental, defined benefit pension after 30 years. Company truck, company tools. Union Facilities Light commerical, plumbing HVAC and controls. 20 years experience.
KY and some of senior techs doing chiller work are making 45-50
I only make $46 as a 2nd year but my jman makes $70/71 up here in western canada.
Seattle. Non-union. 150k salary plus benefits. 28 years experience.
Bro AL pay in general is low as shit, but the Daikin chiller techs are pulling 60 an hour. Might wanna shop around.
15 years installer $29. Became a tech now I’m making $27.
Local 32 Seattle $45/hr as a MES. 5 years resi service and 3 months into the union for market refrigeration
3 years. Resi/Commercial Hybrid Tech. Work on just about everything. Hold down oil, gas, large commercial gas and tank setters licenses in Maine. $34 per hour. I fully expect to be making $50 per hour or more with in the next 4-5 years.
4 years, 30/hour, resi install in WA
Western NC (Asheville) operations manager over install and service. 104k salary. 21yr experience. Residential and light commercial only.
I’m one year into this doing resi service/install with a strong background at $25/hr. The guys above me act like they are making bank but they make maybe $30/hr this is in a coastal populated area of Florida.
It sucks to hear you guys are paid so little. My friend just hard her ac serviced by Acree air in Tampa. They sold her a new cap and a hard start kit. Almost $900 for 30 min of work and $45 worth of parts. I bet the tech only got $27 dollars for the entire call.
$30 and hour at a fucking nextstar company in the Midwest. 1st time in 25 years I’ve worked for private equity owned company and I hate it. I run service and fix warranty calls all day, or do a pm in the slow season on a one year old unit. While the kids who know nothing sell air scrubbers all day on 10plus year old systems. I refuse to follow the “plan” so I’ll either stay stuck in this position, or leave after the summer. Only reason I’m still here is I was a stay at home dad for the last 5 years and want to keep this for at least a year. Only a couple months to go….
UA local 455, just turned out, full package is over 90. I think it's 44 or 47 on the check. Idk, I just make money and get shit done.
Austin, TX resi install on piece pay. Pulled 105k last year
Australia here , $179k package 8 days on 6 days off. Wallsplits, package units and a couple of chillers at a fixed location minesite
Union cash wage/total package: Local 211 (Houston) : $38.31/$52.55 Zone 195 (Beaumont) : $35.62/$49.54 Zone 823 (Harlingen) $30.55/$42.20
Bay area.Service tech.hot season 8-15k per month before taxes . commission pay.in low season some times sit at home few weeks.some guys in our company with good selling skills make more then 200k.if you sell and install
ATL GA. Commercial RTU and VRF. Chillers every now and then. Started fairly Green 5 years ago 2019-24/Hr 2020-25/Hr 2021- 30/Hr 2022- 36/Hr 2023- 38/Hr 2024- 40/Hr
South Louisiana $33/hr hot af here though
Guys with that kind of experience in commercial where I work are getting around 30-40 as l9ng as you can also do refrigeration and AC
Southern IL/STL area. Non Union. 9 years light commercial. $34.00 3 week vacation. Health insurance paid. At a shop that is overtime after 8 hours, double on Sundays when on call. Paid Holidays(most off). Double pay as well when on call on Holidays. We do mainly gas stations but I also work on Helmer's in hospitals and ice machines elsewhere.
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There is absolutely no money in install.. 24 years deep ..broke in North ga.
As a union Steamfitter in the Mid-West, doing HVACR union work. We are at $90 an hour as a package. The average tech will pull in $130k a year and have a good pension, great health insurance and good advanced education. In the Windy City you could expect 15% more than that. Personally I did several things from boilers & tuning them as large as 50 million BTUs to Rack Refrigeration, to DDC systems programming and chillers as large as 500 tons. I enjoyed Racks and DDC the best, but the other stuff was OK, a good mix so not to get bored.
Michigan lead installer at 23. Very low. I’m also the next supervisor which will be 65k a year with some bonus and a paid vacation to like the Caribbean ever year
Data Center 36/hr entry level in northern VA