Heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer to thermal engineer
A heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer already meets 53% of what the thermal engineer role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.3/ 100
1 How much of what a thermal engineer is expected to do is already part of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the thermal engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A thermal engineer role treats 16 of its required skills as things a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- design an electric heating system
- design passive energy measures
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A thermal engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer background worth leading with.
- already held assess energy consumption of ventilation systems information skills
- already held design hot water systems communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held distribution of heating cooling and hot water engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held identify fitted source for heat pumps management skills
- already held operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held design a solar heating system communication, collaboration and creativity
All 27 carried skills, including the 16 the thermal engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn design thermal equipment required
- still to learn provide information on geothermal heat pumps required
- still to learn design engineering components required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held develop product design optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held design firmware optional
- still to learn heat transfer processes required
- still to learn thermal materials required
- still to learn sustainable technologies required
- optional, not held power engineering optional
- still to learn interpret 2D plans required
- still to learn interpret 3D plans required
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
- optional, not held report test findings optional
- still to learn use thermal analysis required
- still to learn use thermal management required
- optional, not held develop software prototype optional
- still to learn design thermal requirements required
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- optional, not held follow company standards optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a thermal engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design thermal equipment practise this
- 02 design thermal requirements practise this
- 03 heat transfer processes study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held design an electric heating system skill
- already held design passive energy measures skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held fluid mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating skill
- already held perform a feasibility study on electric heating skill
- already held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held thermodynamics knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held assess energy consumption of ventilation systems skill
- already held combined heat and power generation knowledge
- already held design a solar absorption cooling system skill
- already held design a solar heating system skill
- already held design heat pump installations skill
- already held design hot water systems skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held distribution of heating cooling and hot water knowledge
- already held identify fitted source for heat pumps skill
- already held operate climate control skill
- already held perform feasibility study on solar heating skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop product design optional
- optional, not held develop software prototype optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
- optional, not held design firmware optional
- optional, not held follow company standards optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held power engineering optional
- optional, not held report test findings optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
45 held skills the thermal engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on fitted ventilation systems skill
- not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess heating and cooling systems skill
- not needed by the target role biogas energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role components of air conditioning systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role design a combined heat and power system skill
- not needed by the target role design district heating and cooling energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role design geothermal energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design ventilation network skill
- not needed by the target role determine appropriate heating and cooling system skill
- not needed by the target role determine internal air quality parameters skill
- not needed by the target role district heating and cooling knowledge
- not needed by the target role domestic cooling systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role domestic heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electric heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role geothermal energy systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role install heating boiler skill
- not needed by the target role install heating furnace skill
- not needed by the target role install heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration ducts skill
- not needed by the target role integrate biogas energy in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead a team skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on district heating and cooling skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role product data management knowledge
5 further entries not listed here
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn heat transfer processes required
- still to learn thermal materials required
- still to learn sustainable technologies required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
- optional, not held power engineering optional
Other moves recorded from heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer
- agricultural engineer 59% covered · moderate
- heating, ventilation, air conditioning (and refrigeration) drafter 55% covered · moderate
- steam engineer 54% covered · moderate
- robotics engineer 51% covered · moderate
Full index of moves from heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer
Common questions about this move
Can a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer become a thermal engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer already covers 53% of what a thermal engineer is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 16 of which the thermal engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer need to become a thermal engineer?
13 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is design thermal equipment.
How hard is the move from heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer to thermal engineer?
Its learning distance is 57.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.