As Texas heats up, HVAC technicians are in high demand

ROSENBERG — With heat advisories and excessive heat warnings continuing to be issued across the state of Texas, remaining cool is especially important. Air conditioning helps keep homes, stores and offices cool, and it is HVAC technicians who keep the air conditioning running.

Even though the Texas Workforce Commission projects that there will be 3,719 HVAC industry job openings in the state every year until 2030, there is a shortage of workers to fill them.

Texas State Technical College works to fill in that gap with educated, skilled workers. Five TSTC campuses host an HVAC Technology program, and each was chosen because of the high demand in the local area and community for technicians.

“There is a growing need within our company and across the industry,” said Dennis Lerdahl, who is in charge of business development for Hunter’s Air & Heat Inc. in Boling-Iago, Texas. “As they develop more land and build houses and buildings, the need for this trade continues to rise. However, there is a growing gap with the need to keep up with that demand and skilled-labor attrition.”

Jorge Cabrera, lead instructor of the HVAC program at TSTC’s Harlingen campus, recently shared his thoughts about the demand for more HVAC technicians across the state.

“A part of the industry is still affected by the pandemic,” he said. “The Department of Energy has implemented a lot of high-efficiency equipment. That equipment comes with more technology, and technicians need to be trained to keep up with the maintenance. Additionally, the heat wave has been brutal, which has impacted a lot of equipment.”

One of the key solutions to staying cool, Cabrera has found, is for homeowners to do a few small things to make sure that the air conditioning systems in their homes are working properly.

“Homeowners can clean the filters in their air conditioning units,” Cabrera said. “It is recommended to replace the filters every 30 days. As for this current heat wave, people actually should raise the temperature two to three degrees. The greater the temperature difference is from the inside of a home to the outside, the faster heat will transfer into the house. By raising the temperature, you are helping not to overload the electrical grid.”

For those looking into becoming HVAC technicians, Lerdahl said there are not many jobs that are more fulfilling and secure.

“Learning a trade of any kind is a skill set that will always have value, no matter the situation,” he said. “Even with economic ups and downs, the demand for tradespeople will remain high for years to come. So with that need comes a very nice living.”

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificates of completion in HVAC Technology at its East Williamson County, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, North Texas and Waco campuses.

Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.