If you want to take your HVAC/R career to the next level, this course uses hands-on service call simulations to prepare you for industry-recognized HVAC Excellence or NATE certification.
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
- Optional simulations require a 64-bit operating system.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 8 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Microsoft Word Online.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
*Optional simulations are not screen reader or keyboard accessible. Simulation activities are not meant to be experienced on mobile devices. Personal computers should be used for these activities.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following textbooks will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment:
- Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technology, by Silberstein, Obrzut, Tomczyk, Whitman, and Johnson.
The following material will be available online:
- Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technology
- EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual
Please note: You will receive a digital book if the physical book is on backorder.
If you have more than a year of HVAC/R experience, this course will prepare you for the next step—certification. HVAC/R technicians are in demand, but certified technicians can earn more and have better career opportunities.
This HVAC online training course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to maintain and troubleshoot complex heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. You will be provided with hands-on guidance through videos, reading assignments, service call simulations, and practical applications.
With content aligning to the latest industry standards, you will be prepared for the HVAC Excellence or NATE certification exams by the end of this course. You will also receive a voucher package to take the HVAC Excellence exams. However, please research your state's requirements prior to enrollment to ensure this course is the right fit for you.
Certification Exams
By course completion, you will be fully prepared to sit for the HVAC Excellence Core and Professional Technician exams, the NATE Core and Specialty Test exams, and the EPA 608 certification exam.
Upon completion of this course, you will receive an HVAC Excellence ESCO Group Voucher Package that includes:
- 1 Principals of Electrical and Refrigeration Theory (Core)* exam voucher
- 1 Professional Technician exam voucher (Residential Air Conditioning recommended)
- 1 EPA 608 exam voucher
*To sit for the HVAC Excellence Core exam, you must provide two years of documented work experience. Exam proctor fees may apply.
Additionally, this course aligns with the following Professional Technician specialty areas (vouchers are not included for the exams below):
- Principals of Electrical and Refrigeration Theory
- Residential Air Conditioning
- Gas Heat
- Electric Heat
- Heat Pump Installer
- Heat Pump Service
- Light Commercial Air Conditioning
- Light Commercial Refrigeration
*Proctor fees may apply
- Introduction
- Heat, Temperature, and Pressure
- Matter and Energy
- Refrigeration and Refrigerants
- Safety, Tools and Equipment, and Shop Practices
- General Safety Practices
- Tools and Equipment
- Fasteners
- Tubing and Piping
- Leak Detection, System Evacuation, and System Cleanup
- Refrigeration and Oil Chemistry and Management – Recovery, Recycling, and Reclaiming, and Retrofitting
- System Charging
- Calibrating Instruments
- Simulation: Safety Quiz
- Simulation: Soft Skills Quiz
- Automatic Controls
- Basic Electricity and Magnetism
- Introduction to Automatic Controls
- Automatic Control Components and Applications
- Troubleshooting Basic Controls
- Advanced Automatic Controls-Direct Digital Controls (DDCs) and Pneumatics
- Electric Motors
- Types of Electric Motors
- Application of Motors
- Motor Controls
- Troubleshooting Electric Motors
- Commercial Refrigeration, Part 1
- Evaporators and the Refrigeration System
- Condensers
- Compressors
- Commercial Refrigeration, Part 2
- Expansion Devices
- Special Refrigeration Systems
- Commercial Ice Machines
- Commercial Refrigeration, Part 3
- Special Refrigeration Applications
- Troubleshooting and Typical Operating Conditions for Commercial Refrigeration
- Air-Conditioning (Heating and Humidification)
- Electric Heat
- Gas Heat
- Oil Heat
- Hydronic Heat
- Indoor Air Quality
- Air-Conditioning (Cooling)
- Comfort and Psychometrics
- Refrigeration Applied to Air-Conditioning
- Air Distribution and Balance
- Installation
- Residential Energy Auditing
- Typical Conditions
- Troubleshooting
- All-Weather Systems
- Heat Gains and Heat Losses in Structures
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Geothermal Heat Pumps
- Domestic Appliances
- Domestic Refrigerators and Freezers
- Room Air Conditioners
- Commercial Air-Conditioning and Chilled-Water Systems
- High-Pressure, Low-Pressure, and Absorption Chilled-Water Systems
- Cooling Towers and Pumps
- Operation, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting of Chilled-Water Air-Conditioning Systems
- Commercial, Packaged Rooftop, Variable Refrigerant Flow, and Variable Air Volume Systems
- Simulation Challenge Mode: HVAC
- Simulation Challenge Mode: Electricity for HVAC
- Soft Skills and the HVACR Technician
- Communication
- Decision-Making
- Time Management
- Problem Solving
- Accepting Responsibility
What you will learn
- HVAC online training course
- Understand the procedures and criteria needed to conduct a residential energy audit
- Four basic components that make up the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle
- Functions and desired characteristics of system refrigerants
- Demonstrate piping operations typically performed by the air conditioning technician
- Properly installing and operating an air-conditioning system
- Latest advances and trends in green technology
- EPA laws governing safe refrigerant handling and transport
- Recovering, recycling, reclaiming, and retrofitting refrigerants
How you will benefit
- Be prepared to sit for the NATE Certification exams
- Be prepared to sit for the HVAC Excellence Certification exams
- Be prepared to sit for the EPA 608 Refrigerant Handling exam
- Use real-world simulations included in this course to get "hands-on" experience
- Soft skills simulations included in the course will help sharpen your customer service skills
- Enrolled students are invited to attend our exclusive annual virtual National Apprenticeship Week events, featuring live webinars, workshops, and employer interactions
Mike Baker
Mike Baker has been an instructor since 2011. Previously, he was HVAC Program Director at both Virginia College and Vista College. Baker was a HVAC technician for several decades and has experience hiring, training, and managing HVAC Technicians. He holds numerous HVAC Excellence certifications, several Green Mechanical Council certifications, an EPA 608 Universal certification, and Emerson Climate Technology certifications. He has served as both an HVAC Excellence Instructor and Exam Proctor.
For A Limited Time!
Enrolled students can enter to win a free all-expenses paid trip to Tampa, Florida, for the 2023 IDEAL National Championship Finals in November 2023. You can network with peers and see the best electrical, automotive, and HVAC professionals in North America go head-to-head for over $600,000 in cash and prizes. Ask your enrollment representative for more information!