Yes. Our technicians hold NATE certification, and the company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Both are third-party credentials, meaning an outside organization sets the standard and verifies it rather than us grading our own work.
What NATE Certification Means
NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. It is the largest independent certification program for HVAC technicians in the country, and it is earned by passing rigorous examinations rather than by attending a class or paying a fee.
The testing is specialty-specific. A technician certifies separately in areas like air conditioning, gas heating, heat pumps, and air distribution. Passing requires demonstrated knowledge of system theory, diagnostics, installation practice, and safety — not familiarity with one manufacturer’s product line.
Certifications also require ongoing continuing education to remain current. That matters in a trade where the fundamentals have shifted substantially in the last decade.
Why Certification Matters More Now Than It Used To
HVAC has changed faster in the past ten years than in the thirty before it.
Refrigerants have transitioned repeatedly — R-22 is gone, R-410A is being phased down, and A2L refrigerants now entering the market carry different handling, storage, and safety requirements. A technician who stopped learning in 2012 is genuinely behind on current equipment.
Equipment has moved to variable-speed compressors and communicating control systems that cannot be diagnosed with the methods that worked on single-stage units. Plugging in a set of gauges and reading pressures is no longer sufficient. Efficiency standards changed with the SEER2 transition, altering how systems are rated and matched.
Certification is how you distinguish a technician who has kept up from one who has not.
What BBB Accreditation Covers
BBB accreditation is a different kind of signal. It is not technical — it addresses business conduct: advertising honestly, disclosing terms, responding to complaints, and maintaining a public record you can review.
The value is the record. Anyone can claim good service. An accredited business has a complaint history you can look at, which is a more useful input than a page of selected testimonials.
Licensing Is Separate and Required
Certification is voluntary. Licensing is not.
In Texas, HVAC contractors are licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, which uses a tiered structure requiring documented field hours plus examination to advance.
Because we perform both HVAC and plumbing work, we hold and maintain credentials on both sides. Anyone handling refrigerant must also hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is federal law.
What This Produces at Your House
Credentials only matter because of what they change on the job.
A certified technician performs a proper diagnosis instead of swapping parts until something works. They verify refrigerant charge by measurement rather than by feel. They test combustion on gas equipment rather than assuming. They size replacement systems by load calculation, not by matching what was there. They pull permits where permits are required.
And they are more likely to tell you a system does not need replacing, because they can actually determine that.
Verify Any Contractor
Ask for a license number and check it with the state. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming general liability and workers’ compensation. Ask which specific NATE specialties a technician holds. Ask how they size equipment.
These are not rude questions, and any legitimate contractor expects them.
Where Certification Meets Practice
Credentials are the floor, not the ceiling. What actually determines your experience is whether the work holds up, which is why every job is backed by our Home Comfort Guarantee and why our reviews are a more honest measure than any certificate.
You can read more about our team, and members of our Care Club maintenance plan generally work with the same certified technicians year after year.
We serve Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Boerne, Comfort, and the surrounding Hill Country. Contact 72 Degrees or call (830) 240-1835.
