Building Services Engineer
Also advertised as: air conditioning engineer, Building Services Design Engineer, building services engineer, Building Services Engineer, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration engineer, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration engineer
Designs the heating, ventilation, lighting and power systems inside buildings.
What the job involves
Building services engineers design the systems that make a building comfortable and functional: heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and power. You calculate loads, select equipment and coordinate with architects and contractors so everything fits together on site. Increasingly the role includes designing for energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets.
Typical responsibilities
- Design heating, ventilation and electrical systems for buildings
- Calculate energy loads and system capacities
- Coordinate designs with architects and other engineers
- Review installation work for compliance on site
- Specify equipment to meet energy efficiency targets
Common employers
- Building services consultancies
- Mechanical and electrical contractors
- Property developers
- Local authorities
- Facilities management firms
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£25,000 – £31,000 a year
With experience
£40,000 – £58,000 a year
Typical hours
37-40 hours, with occasional site visits
Working environment
Office based with regular site coordination visits
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Building services design software
- Load calculations
- Building regulations knowledge
- BIM coordination
- Sustainability principles
Transferable skills you may already have
- Coordinating with multiple trades
- Reading technical drawings
- Balancing cost and performance
Requirements employers ask for
- Building services design software
- Load calculations
- Building regulations knowledge
- BIM coordination
- Sustainability principles
- Degree or HNC/HND in building services engineering or a related discipline
- execute feasibility study
- perform scientific research
- heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts
- adjust engineering designs
- assess financial viability
- hydraulics
- mechanics
- mechanical engineering
- engineering principles
- use technical drawing software
- approve engineering design
- engineering processes
Useful but not essential
- Coordinating with multiple trades
- Reading technical drawings
- Balancing cost and performance
- Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status (CIBSE)
- draft design specifications
- create technical plans
- perform test run
- components of air conditioning systems
- ventilation systems
- advise architects
- install heating furnace
- conduct performance tests
Helpful qualifications
- Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status (CIBSE)
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Building Services Design Engineer (Degree, Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Mathematics
- Related subject: Physics
- Related subject: Design and technology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Building Services Engineer
next
Associate Engineer
next
Technical Director
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Growing demand driven by net zero targets
- Varied projects from housing to hospitals
- Clear chartership pathway
What people find hard
- Coordinating multiple trades can be time-consuming
- Design changes late in a project cause rework
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a building services engineer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. preferred
- How much does a building services engineer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £25,000 to £31,000 a year, rising towards £58,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Coordinating with multiple trades, Reading technical drawings, Balancing cost and performance.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 16 September 2026.
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