For most people, the home is the family’s greatest investment. To protect that investment, you will want only the best to care for it. And when it comes to your home’s heating and air conditioning system, the best person is a NATE-certified technician. There are about 35,000 of these professionals in existence. But what does it mean to be NATE-certified?
Benchmark of the HVAC Industry
A NATE certification is considered the benchmark of excellence for technicians in the HVAC industry. North American Technician Excellence, an independent organization that is owned, run, and supported by the HVAC industry, oversees the written exams that lead to certification. NATE exams are created by HVAC industry experts. Technicians pursuing NATE certification are tested for their real-world understanding in all areas of the industry.
This includes:
- Oil and gas furnaces
- Air conditioning
- Heat pumps
- Air distribution
Four Levels of NATE Certification
There are four levels of NATE certification that technicians can pursue. Most certifications last five years. To be recertified, technicians need to complete 60 continuing education units or take the test again.
The first exam is the Ready to Work certificate. This exam is designed for technicians who are beginning in the industry. It will test the skills and knowledge of what they need to know to work in the HVAC industry.
After working in the HVAC industry for six to 12 months, technicians can take the HVAC Support Technician exam. This exam covers the fundamentals of topics that are linked to the NATE professional level certifications.
Technicians who have two or more years of HVAC experience can take NATE certification exams in installation or service in one or more specialty areas. The technician must pass the core exam and a service or installation exam to earn this third level of certification.
NATE’s highest certification is the Senior Level Efficiency Analyst Certification. A technician taking this exam must already have two NATE service certifications.
Rely on Our NATE-Certified Techs
At Summit Heating & A/C in Denver, we invest in our technicians to make sure they are among the top-trained NATE-certified techs in the industry. All our techs are NATE-certified or in the process of obtaining certification. When you contact our heating and cooling repairs or installations, water heater services, or air quality services, you can rest assured that your technician will be able to get the job done.
