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HVAC
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program in HVAC, he explained, the one-year certificate program starts with the basics, and “by the time you finish, you’ve gotten your feet wet. You’ll still require some in-field training; you’re not going to hit the road and start fixing stuff. You’ll want to shadow somebody. But we have a lot of success covering all the bases, so, by the end of the year, you can start training in an internship.”
It helps, he said, that the state offers funding for businesses to take on interns for six months.
“It helps the employer, so they don’t have to carry the burden of training somebody and paying them, and it also helps the students with training hours, and gives them a chance to see if they really want to do it or not.”
Many do, of course, and the pay is a factor; HVAC professionals can make $55,000 after a year, or up to $75,000 or more if they go into auto- mation and control, Khan said.
“These guys are not going to be outsourced anytime soon. You’re not going to see a robot come into the house; somebody has to do the work. An engineer can be outsourced, but who’s going to install and cut metal and lay down the ductwork and do the wiring? Somebody has to do it.
“So it’s a good area to be in, with a lot of job security, and it’s not going anywhere soon,” he added. “We can diagnose things faster, make things more efficient, but in the end, some- body’s got to go into the house for the actual repair.”
Changing Environment
The statewide push toward climate and energy innovation aren’t slowing down, and will continue to impact the worlds of construction and HVAC.
In a speech last month to the New England Council, Gov. Maura Healey cited figures from a UMass Donahue Institute report suggesting that the $1.3 billion her administration wants to invest in climate technology over 10 years would result in $16.4 billion in new economic activity and as many as 7,000 new jobs.
The state spending figure includes $400 million in bond authorizations for capital projects, $300 million in tax incentives, and $300 million to support the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s operations, as well as an expansion in eligibility for existing offshore wind tax credits that could cost up to $350 million.
At the same time, the Center for EcoTechnology in Florence — which has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to energy efficiency and climate impacts for almost a half-century — expects to dramati- cally expand its work, President and CEO Ashley Muspratt recently told BusinessWest.
“The work we do ultimately rolls
“There are a lot of moving parts, but it all makes it better for the consumer.”
to heat and cool homes efficiently,” Cer- nak said. “The next change is a new refrigerant which is more environmen- tally friendly and has a wider range of capability. By 2025, every manufacturer will be affected by that.
“It’s ever-moving,” he added. “We have administrative staff people who are always keeping up with regulations and changes and Mass Save incentives and tax incentives and manufacturer trainings. There are a lot of moving parts, but it all makes it better for the consumer.” BW
up to reducing carbon emissions and shepherding in all of the benefits that come with that,” she said. “Carbon reduction can allow for a better lifestyle in terms of cost savings, health ben- efits, energy independence, and a more comfortable, better livelihood. We could be tackling this crisis while also paving
the way to a better way of life.”
And where there’s a will, innovation
will follow.
“The technology is advancing tre-
mendously. It has been forever, but especially the past few years. And that trajectory will probably continue as manufacturers learn new technologies
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