5. The NATE Patch Look for the NATE Patch 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 heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) industry – contractors, manufacturers, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), and technicians themselves. Are all HVACR technicians certified by NATE? 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. Over the past few years, NATE has grown considerably. More than 20,000 technicians have been NATE-certified and the list continues to grow. With a strong endorsement from the leading manufacturers of HVACR equipment, NATE certification is the standard by which all technicians should be judged. Don't you want third-party reassurance that the technician in your home is a capable, qualified individual? Nearly 90 percent of consumers do. Ask your contractor if he or she employs NATE-certified technicians, and request that only NATE-certified technicians service your system. Some contractors choose to show off their NATE-certified status in ACCA's online Contractor Locator, and others do not. Be sure to ask. 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 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. In short ... ask for NATE-certified technicians. And look for the NATE patch! © Air Conditioning Contractors of America Association, Inc., http://www.acca.org/. Reprinted with permission.