How fast does each Colorado program pay for itself?
Pick a program. Cost and length are pre-filled from its listing below where the school publishes a total, and every field is yours to change.
Gross pay, before tax and living costs, so the real payback is longer. Pay figure defaults to the Colorado median for experienced technicians ($59,800, BLS May 2024); entry pay is lower, so adjust it down for a realistic first year. Full method on our methodology page.
Emily Griffith Technical College
Denver, COEmily Griffith has trained Denver's workforce since 1916 and its 8-month hybrid HVAC certificate is the reference program in the metro, repeatedly cited for strong job placement into a market where cooling and high-altitude heating both matter.
- Credential
- 8-month HVAC certificate, hybrid format
- Length
- 8 months
- Cost
- Public technical college pricing; confirm current program total
- Format
- Hybrid
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- Public technical college, Denver Public Schools
Worth knowing: Denver's altitude makes combustion tuning its own skill; ask specifically about high-altitude furnace coursework.
UA Local 208 Apprenticeship
Denver, COLocal 208 runs Denver's union pipe trades apprenticeship, five paid years into the commercial mechanical systems that the metro's building boom keeps demanding, with Local 58 running the parallel program in Colorado Springs.
- Credential
- Five-year pipefitters apprenticeship serving HVAC and mechanical systems
- Length
- 5 years, paid on the job
- Cost
- No tuition; paid throughout
- Format
- On the job plus classroom
- EPA 608 prep
- Earned during the apprenticeship
- Accreditation
- US DOL registered apprenticeship
Worth knowing: Union work here skews commercial and industrial; the residential boom is open shop. Ranked on merit; no program pays for placement.
Pickens Technical College
Aurora, COPickens focuses on service technology with heavy lab time and has historically run one of the lowest tuition rates of any Colorado HVAC program, serving the east metro where much of Denver's residential growth actually sits.
- Credential
- HVAC service technology certificate
- Length
- About 1 year
- Cost
- Historically among the lowest tuition in the state; confirm the current program total with Pickens
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- Public technical college, Aurora Public Schools
Worth knowing: Published cost figures for Pickens are dated; get the current number in writing before comparing against Emily Griffith.
Red Rocks Community College
Lakewood, CORed Rocks runs the deepest award catalog in the state, with specialty tracks in hydronic heating and forced air, which matters in a state where boiler and radiant systems are far more common than in most of the country.
- Credential
- HVAC certificates and degrees including hydronic and forced-air specialties
- Length
- 1 to 2 years by award
- Cost
- Colorado community college rates
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- HLC
Worth knowing: Hydronics skills are scarcer and better paid than basic split-system work along the Front Range; the specialty tracks are the reason to pick Red Rocks.
Lincoln Tech
Denver, COLincoln Tech's Denver campus trains on energy-audit houses, full mock homes students diagnose end to end, which is closer to real service work than bench labs, with the national brand's employer pipeline behind it.
- Credential
- HVAC diploma
- Length
- About 1 year
- Cost
- Private tuition; Lincoln Tech programs nationally run roughly $20,000 to $25,000, so get Denver's figure in writing
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- Accredited private institution
Worth knowing: At four to ten times the public options' cost, the case is speed and lab realism; make admissions prove it against Emily Griffith's price.
UA Local 58 Apprenticeship
Colorado Springs, COLocal 58 extends the union route to Colorado Springs, whose military installations and data centers anchor steady commercial mechanical demand outside the Denver orbit.
- Credential
- Registered pipefitters apprenticeship serving HVAC
- Length
- 4 to 5 years, paid
- Cost
- No tuition; paid throughout
- Format
- On the job plus classroom
- EPA 608 prep
- Earned during the apprenticeship
- Accreditation
- US DOL registered apprenticeship
Worth knowing: Ranked on merit like every union entry; entry is competitive and paced by contractor demand.
Colorado HVAC schools compared
| # | Program | Credential | Length | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Griffith Technical College | 8-month HVAC certificate, hybrid format | 8 months | Public technical college pricing |
| 2 | UA Local 208 Apprenticeship | Five-year pipefitters apprenticeship serving HVAC and mechanical systems | 5 years, paid on the job | No tuition |
| 3 | Pickens Technical College | HVAC service technology certificate | About 1 year | Historically among the lowest tuition in the state |
| 4 | Red Rocks Community College | HVAC certificates and degrees including hydronic and forced-air specialties | 1 to 2 years by award | Colorado community college rates |
| 5 | Lincoln Tech | HVAC diploma | About 1 year | Private tuition |
| 6 | UA Local 58 Apprenticeship | Registered pipefitters apprenticeship serving HVAC | 4 to 5 years, paid | No tuition |
What do HVAC techs earn in Colorado?
Colorado HVAC technicians average about $59,800 per year, with entry-level graduates typically starting between $25 and $36 per hour and experienced techs in major metros pushing well beyond that. Licensing status moves the number more than anything else, which is why the Colorado licensing guide should be read alongside this list.
Colorado HVAC schools: frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to work in HVAC in Colorado?
Colorado has no statewide HVAC license; regulation happens at the city and county level, with Denver and other metros running their own registrations, while electrical and plumbing hold the statewide licenses. That local patchwork is exactly what our Colorado licensing guide maps; read the jurisdiction you plan to work in before assuming anything.
How much does HVAC school cost in Colorado?
Emily Griffith and Pickens run public technical college pricing with program totals typically in the low-to-mid thousands, and Red Rocks charges standard community college rates, while Lincoln Tech's private program runs roughly $20,000 to $25,000 per its national range. The union apprenticeships at Locals 208 and 58 charge nothing and pay throughout.
Why does hydronic heating matter so much in Colorado?
Because a large share of Front Range and mountain buildings heat with boilers and radiant systems rather than forced air, and hydronics technicians are scarcer and better paid than split-system generalists. Red Rocks' specialty tracks exist for that market; ask any program how much boiler and hydronic time is actually in the curriculum.
What about high-altitude combustion?
Above roughly 5,000 feet, gas appliances need derating and tuning that flatland training barely covers, and Denver sits at 5,280. It is a legitimate differentiator for Colorado-trained technicians; ask specifically whether altitude adjustment is taught with live equipment.