u/sludgejogger

Dag allemaal,

Ik werk momenteel als marketeer, maar ik ben serieus aan het nadenken over een carrièreswitch naar de koeltechniek. De technische kant van de job spreekt mij enorm aan en ik ben aan het bekijken of ik mij hiervoor zou omscholen.

Er is echter één punt waar ik wat over twijfel.

Ik heb twee jonge kinderen en ik moet hen elke ochtend naar school brengen. Daardoor kan ik in de praktijk pas rond 8u30 à 9u beginnen werken. Einduur maakt niet veel uit, dan haalt mijn vrouw de kinderen op.

Ik hoor vaak dat techniekers vaak vroeg vertrekken, maar geldt dat ook voor de koeltechniek?

• Zijn er bedrijven in België waar je pas rond 8u30 of 9u start, of is dat eerder uitzonderlijk?
• Maakt het verschil of je in installaties, service, onderhoud of industriële koeltechniek werkt?

Ik probeer gewoon een realistisch beeld te krijgen vóór ik de stap zet om mij om te scholen.

Alvast bedankt voor jullie ervaringen!

Hi everyone,

I'm a 38-year-old content marketer from Belgium and I'm seriously considering a career switch to refrigeration/HVAC. The technical side of the job really appeals to me, and I'm thinking about retraining.

However, there is one thing that could be a dealbreaker.

I have two young children and I need to drop them off at school every morning. Because of that, I can't realistically start work before around 8:30-9:00.

I know many construction-related jobs start very early, but I was wondering if refrigeration/HVAC is always like that.

• Are there companies where technicians start around 8:30 or 9:00?
• Is this common, or would it be very difficult to find?
• Does it depend on whether you do installations, service, maintenance or industrial refrigeration?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people working in the sector before I commit to retraining.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

We are trying to apply for the Flemish EPC label premium, but the government website says we are outside the 5-year deadline.

Our situation:

• The original EPC label was issued on 20/01/2021
• We bought the house and the deed was signed in September 2021
• We started renovating shortly after that
• The new EPC was issued on 29/05/2026
• The house went from label F to label A
• We did not activate anything with Fluvius before 2025

The frustrating part is that, from our point of view, the renovation was completed within 5 years after we actually bought the house. The old EPC was already several months old when we became the owners. If the deadline is counted strictly from the date of the old EPC, you can lose several months, or even years, before you even own the property.

Has anyone here had a similar situation with the EPC label premium? Is the 5-year deadline always counted from the date of the first EPC, or can the purchase date, deed date or actual start of the works be taken into account in any way?

We will contact the administration as well, but I’m curious if anyone has experience with this or managed to get a manual review.

I’m seriously considering a career switch to HVAC at 38 and would love some honest advice/experiences from people in the field, especially anyone who studied HVAC systems at .

Short background story:

I started out as a graphic designer and worked in that field for about 7 years. After a job switch, I gradually moved into marketing/content marketing, where I’ve now been working for several years as well. On paper it sounds like a “good career path”, but honestly… I’m completely burned out on the sector. I’m tired of sitting behind a screen all day and feeling like a puppet that constantly has to jump when management says jump.

The weird thing is: the moments where I actually feel motivated and proud are when I’m physically building or fixing something.

Over the years I completely stripped and rebuilt an apartment myself: electricity, plumbing, ceilings, bathroom, kitchen, finishing, etc. I’m currently also building/renovating my own house and even added an extension in timber frame construction. I know DIY and professional work are not the same thing, but I genuinely love technical work and problem solving. I spend a ridiculous amount of time researching building techniques, HVAC systems, insulation, ventilation, EPB, heat pumps, etc.

So this career switch isn’t coming out of nowhere.

That said, I’m also trying to stay realistic.

By the time I could actually start the HVAC graduaat, I’d probably be around 40 when entering the sector professionally. I’m in decent shape and not afraid of working hard, but I do notice I’m not 20 anymore either, so I’m wondering how heavy the physical side really is long term.

A few questions I’d love honest opinions on:

• Has anyone here switched to HVAC later in life (35+)? • Is the physical aspect manageable long term? • Is the graduaat genuinely a big advantage compared to a shorter or CVO course? • Does the graduaat open noticeably more doors in terms of pay/growth/responsibility? • Is combining the graduaat with a family and two small kids realistically doable? • How difficult is the theory/math side in practice? • If you could restart today, would you still choose HVAC?

This would have a pretty massive financial impact on my family, so I’m trying to gather as many real experiences as possible before making a decision.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience honestly.