Consumers demand technician excellence, and NATE-certified technicians deliver.

What is NATE?
NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence, and it's the only nationwide certification program accepted by the entire HVACR industry -- contractors, manufacturers, and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America

Are all HVACR technicians certified by NATE?
No. NATE is a voluntary certification program designed to ensure that qualifying technicians have a core set of competencies and can be trusted by the consumers who hire them. NATE is the culmination of several years worth of work by ACCA and other industry organizations to establish one single, nationwide certification.

Don't you want third-party reassurance that the technician in your home is a capable, qualified individual?A recent survey says that 87% of air conditioning and heating consumers prefer certified technicians. NATE is an independent organization that certifies installation or service technicians with a knowledge-based test. The test format and questions were designed by contractors, technicians, educators, manufacturers, utilities, wholesalers and representatives from the leading air conditioning and heating trade associations.

NATE certifies installation and/or service technicians. To become certified technicians must pass both core and specialty parts of either an installation or service test with a score of 90 or better. The Core exam has 50 questions and a specialty exam of 100. Specialties include installation and service of furnace, heat pump, air conditioning, air distribution, oil heat and gas heat.

The NATE test is not easy; not all technicians pass it the first time. NATE certification verifies that the technicians who do are the best in the trade when it comes to knowledge and experience installing or servicing your home heating or cooling system.

Is the NATE certification really meaningful?
Yes! The NATE certification is rigorous and voluntary. There are other third-party certification programs out there, but they have suspiciously high "pass" rates. NATE has the lowest pass rate and is the only nationwide certification program that is endorsed by the HVACR industry across all levels. Technicians, contractors, manufacturers, utilities, educators, wholesalers and leading industry trade associations support NATE. And industry organizations such as ACCA have helped develop the tests to ensure they maintain high professional standards.

Call GEAR for an appointment and ask about our NATE Certified Technicians. Look for the NATE logo when you need service on your current system or a new comfort system.

GEAR supports and encourages professionalism through NATE certification.