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Thermal insulation engineer

Thermal insulation engineers install insulating materials around pipes, boilers and ductwork in offices, factories, schools and hospitals.

Annual Salary

£20,000 to £40,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

42 to 44 a week

You could work: between 8am and 6pm; away from home

5.8%
Future employment

There will be 5.8% fewer Thermal insulation engineer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As a thermal insulation engineer, you could:

  • choose the right materials and tools for a particular job
  • prepare areas to be insulated
  • fit insulation or cladding following engineering plans
  • fasten insulation using clips, sprays, adhesives or wire bands
  • seal work areas after fitting insulation
  • remove old materials like asbestos, in line with health and safety regulations

Possible green job

This job could help the environment.

For a thermal insulation engineer to be a green job, you could:

  • insulate buildings so they require less energy
  • use environmentally friendly insulation materials like wood fibre and hemp
  • find suppliers that care about the environment and work in a sustainable way

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work on a construction site, in a factory or at a manufacturing plant.

Your working environment may be cramped, dusty and physically demanding.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
College

You can do a college course to get some of the skills you'll need to get a trainee job with a company.

Courses include:

  • building services engineering
  • fabrication and welding engineering
  • T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction

Apprenticeship

You can apply for a place on an apprenticeship to get started in this career, for example:

  • Commercial Thermal Insulation Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Industrial Thermal Insulation Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These can take up to 2 years to complete and include a mix of training on the job with off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got experience and qualifications in a related area of work, like:

  • pipe fitting
  • heating and ventilation engineering
  • building services engineering
  • refrigeration or air conditioning installation

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in thermal insulation from the Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) and Go Construct.

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You could take further training while you work to move into a technical, supervisory or managerial role, such as:foreperson; site safety officer; building services technician

You could also find work in related industries, like heating and ventilation engineering or air-conditioning and refrigeration.

You can find out more about careers in thermal insulation from the Building and Engineering Services Association and ECITB Careers.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • knowledge of maths
  • persistence and determination
  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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