Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
O*NET-SOC code
49-9021.00

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.

AI exposure

  • Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08

    Moderate· relative

    LowFour relative bandsVery high

    Group-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

    Source dataset (XLSX download)

  • Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03

    0.019

    0.000Range of values carried here0.745
    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

    Source dataset (CSV download)

  • Data source: ILOPublished: 2025

    0.21

    0.09Range of values carried here0.70

    Group-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

    Source dataset (PDF download)

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.

AI exposure (OpenAI rubric)

30 rated tasks · 4 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (13.3%)

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

Tasks

Task statements from the O*NET® 31.0 Database, core tasks first.

TaskTypeβ (OpenAI)
Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment.Core0
Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring.Core0
Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions.Core0
Connect heating or air conditioning equipment to fuel, water, or refrigerant source to form complete circuit.Core0
Install, connect, or adjust thermostats, humidistats, or timers.Core0
Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area.Core0
Study blueprints, design specifications, or manufacturers' recommendations to ascertain the configuration of heating or cooling equipment components and to ensure the proper installation of components.Core0.5
Install auxiliary components to heating or cooling equipment, such as expansion or discharge valves, air ducts, pipes, blowers, dampers, flues, or stokers.Core0
Braze or solder parts to repair defective joints and leaks.Core0
Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools.Core0
Inspect and test systems to verify system compliance with plans and specifications or to detect and locate malfunctions.Core0
Record and report time, materials, faults, deficiencies, or other unusual occurrences on work orders.Core1
Perform mechanical overhauls and refrigerant reclaiming.Core0
Adjust system controls to settings recommended by manufacturer to balance system.Core0
Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.Core0
Install dehumidifiers or related equipment for spaces that require cool, dry air to operate efficiently, such as computer rooms.Core0
Recommend, develop, or perform preventive or general maintenance procedures, such as cleaning, power-washing, or vacuuming equipment, oiling parts, or changing filters.Core0
Cut or drill holes in floors, walls, or roof to install equipment, using power saws or drills.Core0
Mount compressor, condenser, and other components in specified locations on frames, using hand tools and acetylene welding equipment.Core0
Measure, cut, thread, or bend pipe or tubing, using pipe fitter's tools.Core0
Keep records of repairs and replacements made and causes of malfunctions.Core1
Install or repair air purification systems, such as specialized filters or ultraviolet (UV) light purification systems.Core0
Estimate, order, pick up, deliver, and install materials and supplies needed to maintain equipment in good working condition.Core0
Schedule work with customers and initiate work orders, house requisitions, and orders from stock.Core0.5
Supervise and instruct assistants.Core0
Lay out reference points for installation of structural and functional components, using measuring instruments.Core0
Lift and align components into position, using hoist or block and tackle.Core0
Install or repair self-contained ground source heat pumps or hybrid ground or air source heat pumps to minimize carbon-based energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions.Core0
Repair or service heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to improve efficiency, such as by changing filters, cleaning ducts, and refilling non-toxic refrigerants.Core0
Test pipes, lines, components, and connections for leaks.Core0

Occupation information

Sources and attribution

This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database (https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html) by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. AI Changing Work has modified all or some of this information: the O*NET-SOC code, title and task statements are reproduced in English without change; task-type labels are shown in the page's language and tasks are listed core first; any Korean occupation title shown on the Korean-language page is AI Changing Work's translation; any KSCO-8 unit groups linked to this occupation were paired with it by AI Changing Work's judgment, and the relation labels and statuses are AI Changing Work's additions. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Any AI exposure figures on this page are published by third parties, not by AI Changing Work, and none is part of the O*NET information. OpenAI publishes task-level scores (MIT License) for O*NET 27.2 task statements; each is shown next to the O*NET 31.0 task statement with the same task ID, whose wording can differ from the 27.2 statement that was scored. OpenAI also publishes occupation-level scores for O*NET-SOC codes in the same release, and any such score is shown on the O*NET occupation with the same code. Anthropic publishes an observed exposure index in the Anthropic Economic Index (CC-BY), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes relative AI exposure categories (public domain); both are published per SOC code, and each value is shown on every O*NET occupation with that code. The International Labour Organization publishes a generative AI exposure index in ILO Working Paper 140 (CC BY 4.0) for ISCO-08 unit groups; AI Changing Work links those groups to O*NET occupations by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC and 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC crosswalks as published, without case-by-case selection, and these crosswalks match many groups only in part. Where several unit groups are linked, each group's published value is listed, and any summary shows only the lowest and highest of those values with the number of groups; no exposure figure is averaged or recalculated. Any employment figures are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the SOC group containing this occupation. Each source is credited where its figures are shown.

O*NET OnLine: 49-9021.00 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

KSCO 코드·명칭: 한국표준직업분류(제8차 개정) — 통계청 고시 제2024-328호 (2024-07-01 고시, 2025-01-01 시행). 저작권법 제7조 제2호의 고시 항목이다. 명칭 표기(가운뎃점·띄어쓰기)는 해설서 2차 정오 반영판의 표기를 따랐으며, 고시 항목표와는 18개 명칭에서 가운뎃점 글리프나 띄어쓰기만 다르다. 통계청은 2025년 10월 국가데이터처로 개편되었다. 이 페이지의 KSCO 연결은 통계청·국가데이터처의 공식 연계표가 아니다.

Full attribution and licenses