Potential occupational standard
Occupational standard in development
Approved occupational standard
Occupational standard without apprenticeship
Custom occupational card
Apprenticeship
Higher Technical Qualification
T Level
Technical Qualification
Career starter apprenticeship
Royal apprenticeship
Occupational progression
Technical education progression
Mid green occupation
Dark green occupation
Favourite occupation
View glossary of terms
home Construction and the built environment
Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician

Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician

Construction and the built environment

Level 3 - Technical Occupation

Planning, preparing and safely carrying out work in process, product and space cooling.

Print to PDF View occupation in map

Reference: OCC0322

Status: assignment_turned_inApproved occupation

Average (median) salary: £36,447 per year

SOC 2020 code: 5225 Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers

SOC 2020 sub unit groups:

  • 5225/00 Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers
  • 2129/08 Heating and ventilating engineers (professional)
  • 5315/00 Plumbers and heating and ventilation installers and repairers

Technical Education Products

ST0322:

Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician

(Level 3)

Approved for delivery

TL0002g:

Building services engineering for construction - Air Conditioning Engineering and Refrigeration Engineering

(Level 3)

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Space Engineering UK, Carter Synergy, Epta Group, Daikin UK, Adcock Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Star Refrigeration, Arcus Solutions, J Sainsbury PLC, Integral UK, Mitsubishi Electric, Cold Service, Orwell Design Associates (ODA).

Summary

This occupation is found in the industrial and commercial contracting sector, providing installation, service and maintenance activities.

The broad purpose of this occupation is the installation of components, routine maintenance, reactive service, commissioning and decommissioning of vapour compression systems, as found in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems. This is a specialist role involving planning, preparing and safely carrying out activities in process, product and space cooling. Work is carried out in a variety of applications essential for key UK business activities such as food production, product distribution, retail storage and display, transport and office climate control, manufacturing processes (e.g. petrochemical, pharmaceutical), IT/data centres and medical/healthcare services temperature and environmental control. Knowledge must be transferrable between any of the core activities of refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pumps.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with clients and end users, as well as liaising directly with other trades. Technicians will be required to travel to various locations to carry out their work at a wide variety of commercial and industrial premises depending on their client base.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working autonomously without immediate supervision, typically reporting to a service or project manager who is not usually on the site premises. They usually work as part of a team liaising with other technical trades.

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Space Engineering UK, Carter Synergy, Epta Group, Daikin UK, Adcock Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Star Refrigeration, Arcus Solutions, J Sainsbury PLC, Integral UK, Mitsubishi Electric, Cold Service, Orwell Design Associates (ODA).

eco

Mid Green occupation

Green themes

Heat and Buildings

Typical job titles include:

Air conditioning engineer
Commissioning engineer
Heat pump engineer
Maintenance engineer
Refrigeration technician
Service engineer

Keywords:

Air Con
Engineering Technician
Fridge Installation
Heat Pump Systems
Heatp Pump

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)

K1: Health and Safety legislation and safe working practices applicable to working with pressure systems, electrical circuits and flammable substances.
K2: Industry codes of practice and standards, legislation and sources of information and advice applicable to working with pressure systems, electrical circuits and flammable substances.
K3: Environmental and sustainability regulations and guidance. Environmental hazards that can arise from vapour compression system operations. Environmental management systems standard. Environmental Protection Act. Environmental signage and notices. Types of pollution and control measures: noise, smells, spills, and waste.
K4: Principles of thermodynamics, gas laws, psychrometrics and fluid flow.
K5: Properties of refrigerant fluids and lubricants and their suitability for use in vapour compression systems. Applications and environmental impact.
K6: Refrigerant use: handling techniques and risk mitigation.
K7: Scientific and mechanical principles applicable to vapour compression systems.
K8: Function and operation of refrigerant system components and how they interact in vapour compression systems.
K9: Methods of maximising efficient vapour compression refrigerant system performance: heating and cooling loads, component selection and balancing techniques.
K10: Methods of working with gases under pressure, including brazing work and pressure testing.
K11: Vapour compression system operating parameters: adjustment techniques to mitigate direct and indirect carbon emissions.
K12: Installation of electric circuits, pipe work: positioning, fixing, jointing and testing techniques.
K13: Testing and commissioning practices and techniques applicable to vapour compression systems.
K14: Testing and commissioning practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
K15: Routine and reactive service and maintenance practices and techniques applicable to vapour compression systems, including safe electrical isolation techniques.
K16: Fault finding, diagnosis and rectification practices and techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems, including safe electrical isolation techniques.
K17: Decommissioning techniques applicable to vapour compression systems, safe recovery and disposal of equipment, hazardous waste refrigerant transfer.
K18: Decommissioning techniques of electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
K19: Logbooks and diagrams applicable to refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump maintenance activities.
K20: Environmental technologies employed in the sector: heat recovery, low GWP refrigerants, heat gain, cooling load and energy use equipment.
K21: Tools and equipment used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump activities.
K22: Collaborative working, relationship management with clients and stakeholders and mutual problem-solving techniques.
K23: Communication techniques used with different audiences.
K24: Well-being: mental and physical health considerations in self and others and how to access support. Impact of mental health on the construction industry.
K25: Equity, diversity and inclusion requirements in the workplace.
K26: Documentation methods and requirements - electronic and paper.
K27: Project leadership techniques and principles.
K28: Planning, prioritising, work scheduling, workflow and time management techniques.
K29: Requirements for component warranty, legislation or regulation related to installation or other protections.
K30: Information technology: Management Information Systems (MIS), spreadsheets, presentation, word processing, email, virtual communication and learning platforms. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
K31: Ethical and unethical behaviour, and the routes for reporting if unethical behaviour is identified.

S1: Comply with health and safety, regulations and standards. Apply safe systems of work, including carrying out a risk assessment.
S2: Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and standards for example prevention of refrigerant emissions, segregate resources for reuse and, recycling and disposal of waste.
S3: Position, fix, joint and test, pipework and electrical circuits.
S4: Test, charge with refrigerant and commission vapour compression systems.
S5: Test and commission electrical and electronic control systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
S6: Interpret information and data from log books and diagrams.
S7: perform servicing, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on vapour compression systems including routine and reactive maintenance, installation of components and safe electrical isolation of supply.
S8: Perform routine service, maintenance, fault diagnosis and rectification procedures and techniques on electrical and electrical control systems applicable to vapour compression systems including carrying out safe isolation procedures.
S9: Decommission vapour compression systems, safe recovery and disposal of equipment, hazardous waste refrigerant transfer.
S10: Decommission electrical and electronic systems applicable to vapour compression systems.
S11: Adjust vapour compression system operating parameters to achieve reductions in carbon emissions.
S12: Maximise performance of vapour compression systems by determining heating and cooling loads and selecting and balancing components and systems.
S13: Retrofit and retro fill existing equipment to lower GWP refrigerants.
S14: Mitigate risks of refrigerants including environmental, toxicity and flammability hazards.
S15: Identify and use tools and equipment.
S16: Communicate with others verbally and in writing.
S17: Complete a customer handover.
S18: Work collaboratively with clients or stakeholders to solve problems.
S19: Apply project leadership techniques and principles.
S20: Use information and digital technology and comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations.
S21: Apply ethical principles.

B1: Prioritise health and safety.
B2: Act ethically.
B3: Take responsibility for work.
B4: Team focused to meet work goals, for example, work effectively with others, resolve issues in discussion with others.
B5: Committed to continued professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance competence in own area of practice.
B6: Support an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture.

Duties

Duty D1

Plans tasks, taking into account technical diagrams, product manuals and refrigerant selection in accordance with standards, legislation and codes.

Duty D2

Carries out site specific risk assessment and prepares for tasks ensuringselection of appropriate tools, equipment, PPE.

Duty D3

Carries out component installation tasks in relation to vapour compression systems with due regard to the safety of those in the vicinity and the environment including pipework, jointing, component fixing and connection.

Duty D4

Charges system with refrigerant, minimising leakage.

Duty D5

Performs commissioning activities to ensure efficient functioning including system testing (pressure testing and tightness testing) and performance recording.

Duty D6

Completes system equipment documentation and hands over to customer.

Duty D7

Carries out planned service, maintenance, regular leak checks and recording aswell as reactive fault finding and repair of existing systems.

Duty D8

Performs decommissioning activities including safe recovery, recycling or disposal of refrigerant and other waste products.

Duty D9

Work with other trades or equipment operators on site and communicates relevant information about appropriate use and interaction with other services.

Occupational Progression

This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.

In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.

It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.

Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.

Technical Occupations

Levels 2-3

Higher Technical Occupations

Levels 4-5

Professional Occupations

Levels 6-7

This is the focused occupation.
assignment_turned_in

Level 3

eco
Progression link from focused occupation.
assignment_turned_in

Level 3

eco

Construction and the built environment