NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. It is the leading non-profit certification program for HVAC/R (heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration) technicians.

Often people ask what HVAC/R means.  This stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.  The R after the slash stands for Refrigeration.

Why is it important for an HVAC/R tech to become NATE-certified?

The answer is simple: it’s a win-win situation for everybody.

For a business owner/contractor such as myself, I would like to have as many NATE-certified technicians in my group, because being NATE-certified is a different level of professionalism. These are the people who are willing to receive continued education, attend seminars, and the like. Because our industry is constantly changing, it is important to keep up-to-date with the latest news and information. NATE-certified techs are those who are passionate about being in the HVAC/R business.

For our company, having NATE-certified technicians means that our employees are top-notch professionals. We get less callbacks. We are able to provide better service to our customers, and they are in turn more apt to make use of our services. An employee who is NATE-certified is also prouder and has a sense of self-fulfillment. Many of our technicians are NATE-certified, and those who aren’t are in the process of earning their certification.

For our customers, hiring a company whose technicians are NATE-certified means that they are getting quality service. They can be assured that this person doesn’t just say they know what they’re doing, doesn’t just think they know what they’re doing. NATE-certified technicians really know what they’re doing.

NATE is a third party program supported by all major air conditioning names in the industry. It is an educational as well as an exam process. It filters out a lot of people in the trade who don’t necessarily know what they’re doing.

To earn NATE certification, you don’t just take a test. You really have to know your stuff. All the training in the world won’t really help. It’s plenty of work experience that will allow you to learn everything you need to know.

The scary thing about this industry is that an individual doesn’t need a license or anything of the sort in order to become an HVAC/R technician. There are no formal requirements for entering the industry. Some people may have started out as a part-time helper, became an installer, and then somehow ended up being pushed into something that they aren’t really qualified for.

If someone is NATE-certified, it means that they’ve been around and have worked in the industry. They didn’t just decide to do HVAC/R, or they wouldn’t have gotten that far. Again, these are the people who are serious about what they do.

HVAC/R systems are major investments. So if you need someone for equipment installation, service, maintenance, and repair, make sure you hire a company that hires NATE-certified technicians and installers.

A-1 Ocean Breeze is you local source for NATE-certified technicians.