When your furnace or heat pump stops working, you search online for a Portland heating and cooling company to fix it but how do you know which companies have experienced NATE certified technicians?
Many times you don’t. Here at Midway Heating Company, our technicians are NATE certified and we proudly display their certification throughout our website.
What does NATE certified mean?
That’s a good question. People in the HVAC industry are familiar with NATE and while potential customers may think NATE sounds like a good thing, they don’t really know what it means so that’s what we’re going to cover now.
NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence and it’s the nation’s largest non-profit certification organization for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians. NATE is owned, operated, developed and supported by the entire HVAC/R industry and participation is strictly voluntary.
How do technicians get certified?
While many companies or organizations provide training, NATE goes a step beyond that to test applicants on their working knowledge of HVAC systems.
The written tests are developed by HVAC industry experts and measure real-world understanding of all areas in the HVAC/R industry, including gas furnaces, air conditioning, heat pumps, oil furnaces and air distribution (there are more specialty areas for hydronics and refrigeration but we didn’t list them as we do not provide those services).
Midway has technicians certified in both Service and Installation and that means they have passed the test which measures their applied knowledge in these areas of the heating and cooling field. Most NATE certification lasts 5 years and to re-certify, you either need to complete 60 continuing education hours or retake the test again.
This system ensures certified technicians stay up-to-date on current advances in the HVAC field while protecting consumers as technicians cannot pass the test once and keep their certification indefinitely.
Why look for NATE certified technicians?
When you need a furnace installed or your A/C fixed, you want it done right the first time as you don’t need the added stress or expense of having a technician come a second time in order to get it fixed correctly. Sometimes you think it was fixed only to have the equipment breakdown unexpectedly a week or two later. In either case, it’s inconvenient and avoidable.
Will they know how to fix it?
Every company claims their technicians are experienced and skilled but how do you know? That’s where the NATE certification comes in as only those who have passed the test earn the NATE certified label. When you see this on a website or ad, you know NATE certified technicians have a working knowledge of HVAC equipment as they were able to pass the test.
The test is not easy and the NATE organization has worked hard to earn their reputation for developing a system to enhance and raise the skill levels of technicians. Their goal in doing this is to improve the level of service and reliability for customers.
In short, they want consumers to have a better experience and they know better trained technicians are the answer. NATE’s educational program is constantly being evaluated by professionals in the industry to make the testing process even more effective and accurate.
Participation in NATE is a voluntary process so technicians who choose to become NATE certified are doing so to better themselves and the company for which they work.
We (Midway Heating) believe in providing exceptional service in all areas and that’s means assuring potential and current customers that our employees have been properly trained. It’s important that people trust us to service the heating and cooling equipment in their home and we will not let them down.
