Greentech Media described the work of HVAC technicians for its Clean Energy Careers series, this one coinciding with Energy Efficiency Day and quoting AEE's Ryan Katofsky. Read excerpts below and the entire piece here.
One of the biggest jobs in clean energy is also one that is sometimes overlooked... The HVAC field (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is split between installation and technician work, with some professionals performing both. According to industry group Advanced Energy Economy, half a million people in the U.S. are employed in the high-efficiency HVAC sector, with another 600,000 spending at least some of their time on the job working with high-efficiency HVAC equipment...
Most companies in the industry, like ALED, have fewer than 10 employees. The company’s technicians are experts on how heating and cooling systems work. Commercial and residential clients call on them to come up with creative solutions to get flawed systems running smoothly again.
“We usually work in large buildings, but whether you’re fixing the smallest house or the biggest building, the questions are the same,” explains Lednyak. “What is it that happens external to this unit that is affecting performance? Is this the right unit for the job? Was it installed correctly originally? Was it sized correctly?...”
It’s not always a specific machine that’s broken, according to Lednyak; it could be the whole system. So critical thinking — the ability to look at a problem from different angles to hit on the right solution — is key...
Sustainability is rarely what draws people to the HVAC field, Lednyak says. But the social and environmental impact of HVAC technicians’ work is significant.
Ryan Katofsky, managing director at Advanced Energy Economy, says installing high-efficiency heating and cooling units is “perhaps the most tangible and impactful” job in the energy efficiency sector.
"Because HVAC systems have long, useful lives, often 20 years or more, and account for a large share of building energy use, installing high-efficiency HVAC has significant and long-lasting energy savings impacts," said Katofsky.
Read the entire Greentech Media piece here.