Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians
Construction and Extraction Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 47-2152.04
Install or repair solar energy systems designed to collect, store, and circulate solar-heated water for residential, commercial or industrial use.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.012
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.18
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only21 rated tasks · 2 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (9.5%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Design active direct or indirect, passive direct or indirect, or pool solar systems.O*NET Task ID 17766 | 0.5 |
Assess collector sites to ensure structural integrity of potential mounting surfaces or the best orientation and tilt for solar collectors.O*NET Task ID 17769 | 0.5 |
Perform routine maintenance or repairs to restore solar thermal systems to baseline operating conditions.O*NET Task ID 17767 | 0.0 |
Apply operation or identification tags or labels to system components, as required.O*NET Task ID 17768 | 0.0 |
Connect water heaters and storage tanks to power and water sources.O*NET Task ID 17770 | 0.0 |
Determine locations for installing solar subsystem components, including piping, water heaters, valves, and ancillary equipment.O*NET Task ID 17771 | 0.0 |
Fill water tanks and check tanks, pipes, and fittings for leaks.O*NET Task ID 17772 | 0.0 |
Identify plumbing, electrical, environmental, or safety hazards associated with solar thermal installations.O*NET Task ID 17773 | 0.0 |
Install circulating pumps using pipe, fittings, soldering equipment, electrical supplies, and hand tools.O*NET Task ID 17774 | 0.0 |
Install copper or plastic plumbing using pipes, fittings, pipe cutters, acetylene torches, solder, wire brushes, sand cloths, flux, plastic pipe cleaners, or plastic glue.O*NET Task ID 17775 | 0.0 |
Install flat-plat, evacuated glass, or concentrating solar collectors on mounting devices, using brackets or struts.O*NET Task ID 17776 | 0.0 |
Install heat exchangers and heat exchanger fluids according to installation manuals and schematics.O*NET Task ID 17777 | 0.0 |
Install monitoring system components, such as flow meters, temperature gauges, and pressure gauges, according to system design and manufacturer specifications.O*NET Task ID 17778 | 0.0 |
Install plumbing, such as dip tubes, port fittings, drain tank valves, pressure temperature relief valves, or tanks, according to manufacturer specifications and building codes.O*NET Task ID 17779 | 0.0 |
Install solar collector mounting devices on tile, asphalt, shingle, or built-up gravel roofs, using appropriate materials and penetration methods.O*NET Task ID 17780 | 0.0 |
Install solar thermal system controllers and sensors.O*NET Task ID 17781 | 0.0 |
Test operation or functionality of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and control systems.O*NET Task ID 17782 | 0.0 |
Apply ultraviolet radiation protection to prevent degradation of plumbing.O*NET Task ID 17783 | 0.0 |
Apply weather seal, such as pipe flashings and sealants, to roof penetrations and structural devices.O*NET Task ID 17784 | 0.0 |
Cut, miter, and glue piping insulation to insulate plumbing pipes and fittings.O*NET Task ID 17785 | 0.0 |
Demonstrate start-up, shut-down, maintenance, diagnostic, and safety procedures to thermal system owners.O*NET Task ID 17786 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (21)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Design active direct or indirect, passive direct or indirect, or pool solar systems. | Core |
| Perform routine maintenance or repairs to restore solar thermal systems to baseline operating conditions. | Core |
| Apply operation or identification tags or labels to system components, as required. | Core |
| Assess collector sites to ensure structural integrity of potential mounting surfaces or the best orientation and tilt for solar collectors. | Core |
| Connect water heaters and storage tanks to power and water sources. | Core |
| Determine locations for installing solar subsystem components, including piping, water heaters, valves, and ancillary equipment. | Core |
| Fill water tanks and check tanks, pipes, and fittings for leaks. | Core |
| Identify plumbing, electrical, environmental, or safety hazards associated with solar thermal installations. | Core |
| Install circulating pumps using pipe, fittings, soldering equipment, electrical supplies, and hand tools. | Core |
| Install copper or plastic plumbing using pipes, fittings, pipe cutters, acetylene torches, solder, wire brushes, sand cloths, flux, plastic pipe cleaners, or plastic glue. | Core |
| Install flat-plat, evacuated glass, or concentrating solar collectors on mounting devices, using brackets or struts. | Core |
| Install heat exchangers and heat exchanger fluids according to installation manuals and schematics. | Core |
| Install monitoring system components, such as flow meters, temperature gauges, and pressure gauges, according to system design and manufacturer specifications. | Core |
| Install plumbing, such as dip tubes, port fittings, drain tank valves, pressure temperature relief valves, or tanks, according to manufacturer specifications and building codes. | Core |
| Install solar collector mounting devices on tile, asphalt, shingle, or built-up gravel roofs, using appropriate materials and penetration methods. | Core |
| Install solar thermal system controllers and sensors. | Core |
| Test operation or functionality of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and control systems. | Core |
| Apply weather seal, such as pipe flashings and sealants, to roof penetrations and structural devices. | Core |
| Cut, miter, and glue piping insulation to insulate plumbing pipes and fittings. | Core |
| Demonstrate start-up, shut-down, maintenance, diagnostic, and safety procedures to thermal system owners. | Core |
| Apply ultraviolet radiation protection to prevent degradation of plumbing. | Supplemental |
0.59/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Perform routine maintenance or repairs to restore solar thermal systems to baseline operating conditions. | E0 none |
| Apply operation or identification tags or labels to system components, as required. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Assess collector sites to ensure structural integrity of potential mounting surfaces or the best orientation and tilt for solar collectors. | E2 structured facilities |
| Connect water heaters and storage tanks to power and water sources. | E0 none |
| Fill water tanks and check tanks, pipes, and fittings for leaks. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Identify plumbing, electrical, environmental, or safety hazards associated with solar thermal installations. | E0 none |
| Install circulating pumps using pipe, fittings, soldering equipment, electrical supplies, and hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install copper or plastic plumbing using pipes, fittings, pipe cutters, acetylene torches, solder, wire brushes, sand cloths, flux, plastic pipe cleaners, or plastic glue. | E0 none |
| Install flat-plat, evacuated glass, or concentrating solar collectors on mounting devices, using brackets or struts. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install heat exchangers and heat exchanger fluids according to installation manuals and schematics. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install monitoring system components, such as flow meters, temperature gauges, and pressure gauges, according to system design and manufacturer specifications. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install plumbing, such as dip tubes, port fittings, drain tank valves, pressure temperature relief valves, or tanks, according to manufacturer specifications and building codes. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install solar collector mounting devices on tile, asphalt, shingle, or built-up gravel roofs, using appropriate materials and penetration methods. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Install solar thermal system controllers and sensors. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Test operation or functionality of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and control systems. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Apply weather seal, such as pipe flashings and sealants, to roof penetrations and structural devices. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Cut, miter, and glue piping insulation to insulate plumbing pipes and fittings. | E0 none |
| Apply ultraviolet radiation protection to prevent degradation of plumbing. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
Values for the whole SOC 47-2152 group (Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters), not for this O*NET occupation alone.
- Employment, 2025
- 511K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 545K
- Change (2025–35)
- +6.8%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $63,800
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79290 | 그 외 배관공 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 7126Plumbers and Pipe Fitters
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Plumbers and pipe fitters assemble, install, repair and maintain pipe systems, drains, gutters, ducts and related fittings and fixtures for water, gas, drainage, sewerage, heating cooling and ventilation systems, and for hydraulic and pneumatic equipment.
Tasks
- (a) examining blueprints, drawings and specifications to determine the layout of plumbing and ventilation systems and materials required;
- (b) measuring, cutting, threading, bending, jointing, assembling, installing, maintaining and repairing pipes, fittings and fixtures of drainage, heating, ventilation, water supply and sewerage systems;
- (c) installing gas appliances, dishwashers and water heaters, sinks and toilets using hand and power tools;
- (d) laying clay, concrete or cast-iron pipes in ditches to form sewers, drains or water mains, or for other purposes;
- (e) inspecting, examining and testing installed systems and pipes, using pressure gauge, hydrostatic testing, observation or other methods.
Example occupations
Drain technician · Gas fitter · Pipe fitter · Pipe layer · Plumber · Ventilation pipe fitter
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- solar energy technicianESCO 7411.1.4This occupation is narrower
Solar energy technicians install and maintain systems that collect solar energy. They prepare the necessary fixtures, often on roofs, install solar panels, and plug them into an electronic system including an inverter to connect the solar energy systems to the electricity lines.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| F1610 | Installateur mainteneur / Installatrice mainteneuse en systèmes solaires, thermiques et photovoltaïques | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| F1620 | Installateur / Installatrice chauffage et climatisation | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 7294 | Montadores-instaladores de placas de energía solar | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 34212 | Berufe in der Sanitär-, Heizungs- und Klimatechnik - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 26242 | Berufe in der regenerativen Energietechnik - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 666 | 配管従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 669 | その他の建設従事者 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources