Building services engineer
Building services engineers design, fit and maintain the heating, lighting and power systems in offices, hospitals and shopping centres.
Typical Salary
£28,000 – £51,000
per year
Working Hours
39–41
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
As a building services engineer, you could:
- create plans using computer aided design (CAD) and building information modelling (BIM) software
- design and install controls for systems like heating, ventilation and lighting
- estimate costs, present ideas and produce progress reports
- follow building regulations and health and safety requirements
- organise the work of technicians and manage budgets
We've identified this as a potential green job
For a building services engineer to be a green job, you could:
- make sustainability central to engineering plans
- retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient
- use low carbon materials to reduce levels of greenhouse gases
Skills needed
- knowledge of engineering science and technology
- maths knowledge
- analytical thinking skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- knowledge of building and construction
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be flexible and open to change
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
Career progression
With experience, you could move into:
- senior project management
- quantity surveying
- engineering design
You could also work as a facilities manager or building services consultant.