NATE Certified

By Anne Fonda

NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. This is the nationwide certification program for home heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technicians. It's the only certification that is recognized by the entire HVAC industry.

When you need air conditioning repair or furnace repair, you want expert help. NATE-certified HVAC technicians have studied and passed exams that demonstrate the real-world knowledge and skills needed to handle your HVAC maintenance, repair, and installation needs with expertise.

Once certified, technicians then undergo follow-up training and testing every two years to ensure they are up to date on the latest technology changes and refrigerant changes. This entails 16 hours of continuing education. Once they have satisfactorily completed follow-up testing, technicians are re-certified or gain a new specialty certification. 

Before being eligible for a NATE certification, technicians must pass two separate exams: the Ready-To-Work and HVAC Support Technician. Both of these exams are designed for technicians just entering the field and are recommended by NATE to be completed within the first six months to a year on the job.

Many HVAC technicians pass these NATE certification exams after completing a technical program or receiving on-the-job experience. After passing both these exams and completing at least two years of work in the HVAC field, technicians are eligible to become NATE-certified, via one of two paths:

If a technician wants a higher level of certification beyond the standard NATE, they can earn their Senior Level Efficiency Analyst certificate. Technicians must hold two specialty-level NATE HVAC certifications (one in heating and one in cooling) to take the senior-level test.

When you work with an HVAC company where NATE certification is required of all their technicians, you know that you are getting the best service and installation. It doesn’t matter how good your HVAC system is if it’s improperly installed.

Benefits of hiring a NATE-certified technician include:

When you search for a local American Standard dealer, look for the words NATE Certified in the HVAC contractor results to ensure you’re getting the best-trained technicians.

A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need. 

She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.

Expert review by John Kim, Senior Product Manager, Furnaces