This section is for HVAC business owners. It covers technician pay, job outlook, state licensing, the A2L refrigerant transition and selling a business.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the May 2025 U.S. median wage for HVAC mechanics and installers at $29.33 an hour. BLS put the yearly median at $61,010, as the technician pay guide explains. Of the metro areas in that guide, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA had the highest May 2025 median: $38.51 an hour ($80,100 a year). These federal wage figures exclude self-employed workers. BLS projects employment of HVAC mechanics and installers to grow 11% over 2025–35, per the job outlook guide. BLS says that rate is much faster than the average for all occupations, and it projects about 40,600 openings a year on average.
EPA's installation compliance date for new residential AC and heat pump systems is January 1, 2025, as the A2L transition guide explains. The compliance date bars new systems that use HFCs with a global warming potential of 700 or more. A rule effective July 27, 2026 covers systems whose specified components were all made or imported before January 1, 2025. Under that rule, those systems have no installation deadline. EPA says components used to repair existing systems are not subject to these restrictions.
As of October 2026, Texas required a technician designation for certain helpers. The rule applied to people who assist licensed air conditioning and refrigeration contractors with maintenance or repair. SBA lists income, market and assets approaches for valuing a business. It also says an attorney should review the sales agreement, per the guide to selling an HVAC business.
