HVAC Engineer Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East.
Median salary — South East
£45,436
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 11.5% change on the previous year
Mean
£51,368
What a typical hvac engineer takes home
On the median of £45,436, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£3,019
Take-home a year
£36,234
Income Tax
£6,573
National Insurance
£2,629
What most hvac engineers actually earn
Half of hvac engineers in South East earn between £31,507 and £50,685. Earning above £50,685 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Metal Machining, Fitting and Instrument Making Trades” group in South East.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of hvac engineers earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers
- SOC 2020 code
- 5225
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “hvac engineer” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
HVAC Engineer salary FAQs
What is the average HVAC Engineer salary in South East?
The median is £45,436 a year and the mean is £51,368, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a hvac engineer earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £18.42 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South East.
What is a good HVAC Engineer salary?
Half of hvac engineers earn between £31,507 and £50,685. Anything above £50,685 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a hvac engineer?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of hvac engineers earn under £24,669 and the lowest quarter under £31,507 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do hvac engineers in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £45,436 against £41,166 across the UK, 10.4% higher.
Has hvac engineer pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +11.5% for this occupation in South East. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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