HVAC Beginner Course

Learn the fundamentals of HVAC in a structured, practical way — from air conditioning principles and cooling capacity to equipment selection, ductwork, ventilation, chilled water systems, piping, controls, and electrical basics.

120+ Enrolled
4–5 Hrs
English
Entry Level
46 Lessons
English Subtitle
Self-Paced
Certification
One-time purchase: $99.99
Enroll in HVAC Beginner Course

Also included in Basic Membership from $5/month or $55/year.

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New to HVAC and Not Sure Where to Start?

HVAC can feel confusing when you are just starting out. You may hear terms like cooling capacity, psychrometric chart, refrigeration cycle, duct sizing, chilled water system, control panel, static pressure, and BMS — but not know how they connect.

This course gives you a structured foundation so you can understand HVAC systems more clearly, follow technical discussions with more confidence, and start building practical HVAC design knowledge step by step.

1

You feel lost in HVAC discussions

You hear many technical terms but do not fully understand what they mean.

2

You want to understand HVAC drawings and systems

You need to know how air conditioners, ducts, pipes, fans, chillers, and controls work together.

3

You need basic design confidence

You want to learn simple cooling capacity, duct, pipe, fan, and wire sizing concepts.

4

You want a structured path

Instead of jumping between random articles and videos, you want a clear beginner learning sequence.

Who This Is For

Student

Fresh Graduates and HVAC Beginners

For people starting their HVAC career and needing a practical foundation before handling design, site, project, or maintenance work.

Engineer

Junior Engineers and Project Engineers

For engineers who need to understand HVAC basics, cooling load, equipment selection, ductwork, piping, ventilation, controls, and electrical essentials.

Company

Building Owners and Facility Teams

For people who manage HVAC systems and want to understand how air conditioning, ventilation, chilled water, and controls work.

Project

Technicians and Contractors

For technical workers who want to understand the design logic behind HVAC systems, not just installation or maintenance tasks.

Home

Homeowners Who Want Deeper HVAC Knowledge

For homeowners who want to understand HVAC beyond basic AC usage, especially if planning renovation, ducted systems, or larger cooling systems.

This Course May Not Be for You If…

  • You already have strong HVAC design experience.
  • You are looking for advanced chilled water plant optimization.
  • You need full M&E professional design submission training.
  • You only want a quick answer for one specific AC problem.
  • You want someone to review your actual project instead of learning the fundamentals.

Need project-specific review? View HVAC Engineering Services.

What You Will Learn in This Course

01

Understand HVAC Fundamentals

Learn thermal comfort, temperature, relative humidity, psychrometric chart basics, thermodynamics, and refrigeration cycle.

02

Understand How Air Conditioners Work

Learn the major components, refrigeration diagrams, COP, subcooling, superheating, piping diagrams, and common AC problems.

03

Calculate Basic Cooling Capacity

Learn heat transfer basics, load calculation principles, common methods, reference tables, and a simplified way to estimate cooling capacity.

04

Air Conditioning Equipment

Learn different AC system types, indoor unit forms, equipment specifications, and equipment placement basics.

05

Learn Duct, Grille, and Diffuser Basics

Learn how ducts work, how to size ducts, how to select grilles and diffusers, and how to create a basic duct layout.

06

Chilled Water and Electrical Basics

Learn chilled water system basics, pump & piping, controls, sensors, BMS integration, single line, and wire sizing.

Course Outline

The course is organized into 10 beginner-friendly modules. The current course includes 46 lessons and is designed to be completed module by module. 

You’ll learn the most important lesson which is the fundamentals of air conditioning. You’ll understand some of the most basic yet commonly misunderstood elements of air conditioning. With this lesson, you’ll be able to move forward in HVAC with greater understanding.

Lessons:

  • 1.1 Thermal Comfort, Temperature and Relative Humidity
  • 1.2 Psychrometric Chart and the 4 Air Conditioning Processes
  • 1.3 Thermodynamics and Refrigeration Cycle

You’ll learn the actual application of the fundamentals. Real world working numbers will be provided to you and the reason why such numbers work will be explained. Furthermore, additional components used in modern air conditioners and heat pumps will also be revealed and elaborated.

Lessons:

  • 2.1 The 4 Major Components, PH Diagram and PT Chart
  • 2.2 Coefficient of Performance, Subcooling and Superheating
  • 2.3 Protective Devices and Supplemetary Components
  • 2.4 Air Conditioner and Heat Pump Piping Diagram Explained
  • 2.5 Common Air Conditioning Problems and How to Solve Them

You’ll learn the very first lesson about designing an air conditioning system. You’ll understand the physics and science behind cooling and heating as well as the latest methods used to size air conditioners. To ensure you walk away with a skill, a simplified approach will be presented.

Lessons:

  • 3.1 Heat Transfer Basics
  • 3.2 Load Calculation Principles
  • 3.3 A Simplified Way to Calculate Cooling Capacity
  • 3.4 Cooling Capacity Calculation Example

You’ll proceed to select the suitable air conditioning equipment. You’ll be introduced to various available equipment options alongside their pros and cons. At the end of this module, you’ll know how to pick air conditioner models and place them at the proper location.

Lessons:

  • 4.1 Understanding Different Types of Air Conditioning System
  • 4.2 Pros and Cons of Different Forms of Indoor Unit
  • 4.3 How to Read Air Conditioning Equipment Specifications
  • 4.4 Equipment Selection and Placement Example

You’ll learn how to design the air distribution system for certain types of air conditioning equipment. You’ll learn the step-by-step procedure to size ducts and select grilles & diffusers. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to design a duct layout and check the workability of your design.

Lessons:

  • 5.1 Air Conditioning Duct Explained
  • 5.2 How to Size Duct
  • 5.3 How to Select Diffuser and Grille
  • 5.4 Basic Duct Layout Design
  • 5.5 A Simplified Way to Check Fan Static Pressure

You’ll learn the basics of fan sizing and ventilation system. You’ll understand what is ventilation and how it is done properly. With a simple approach, you’ll learn how to size exhaust fan and design basic ventilation systems backed with a series of design principles in mind.

Lessons:

  • 6.1 Ventilation in Air Conditioning Room
  • 6.2 The 3 Main Types of Fan
  • 6.3 How to Size Exhaust Fan
  • 6.4 Ventilation Design Principles

You’ll be introduced to the chilled water system. You’ll understand how a basic chilled water system works with different types of chillers. Then, the popular chilled water system configurations will be presented and explained to you. At the end of this module, you’ll be able to explain what is a chiller system and read a chilled water system schematic diagram.

Lessons:

  • 7.1 Working Principle of Different Chiller Systems
  • 7.2 Pump Arrangement and System Configurations
  • 7.3 Mechanical Valves, Control Valve and Water Balancing
  • 7.4 How to Read Chilled Water Plant Schematic

You’ll learn various types of pipes that are commonly used in HVAC. Then, you’ll be taught a procedure to size pipes. Additionally, you’ll learn how to check if the pipe insulation thickness is sufficient. Lastly, you’ll understand some of the important concepts of pipes and pumps.

Lessons:

  • 8.1 Understanding Copper Pipes and Chiller Pipes
  • 8.2 How to Size Pipe
  • 8.3 Checking Pipe Insulation Thickness for Condensation
  • 8.4 Pump Pressure, Head and Flow
  • 8.5 Pipe Connection and Pump Cavitation

You’ll learn how air conditioners and exhaust fans are controlled. You’ll understand the strategies used to maintain good indoor air quality. Various kinds of control signals and communication protocols will be explained to you alongside the integration between HVAC and BMS.

Lessons:

  • 9.1 Temperature Control Mechanism
  • 9.2 Motor Starter and Speed Control
  • 9.3 Indoor Air Quality Control
  • 9.4 How Sensors and Control Devices Communicate
  • 9.5 High Level Interface

You’ll learn how to read various electrical related matters such as control panel layout, single line diagram and control circuit diagram. You’ll understand how an HVAC equipment react to different control logics. Finally, you’ll end your lesson with a procedure to size cable and wire.

Lessons:

  • 10.1 Control Panel Design
  • 10.2 How to Read Single Line Diagram
  • 10.3 Control Circuit Diagram
  • 10.4 How to Size Wire and Cable

What You Get Inside This Course

46 Self-Paced Lessons

Learn online at your own pace. You can complete one module per day or move faster depending on your schedule.

10 Structured Modules

The course is arranged in a logical sequence from HVAC fundamentals to sizing, ductwork, chilled water, piping, controls, and electrical basics.

HVAC Starter Pack

Includes essential HVAC tools and references such as psychrometric chart, PH diagram, friction loss chart, and other beginner materials. 

Practical Examples

Learn with simplified examples for cooling capacity, equipment selection, duct layout, pipe sizing, and basic HVAC calculations.

Certificate of Completion

Learners receive a certificate upon course completion.

Access to Course Platform

Lessons are delivered online through my course platform.

By the End of This Course, You Should Be Able To…

  • Explain how basic air conditioning works.
  • Understand temperature, humidity, psychrometric chart, and refrigeration cycle basics.
  • Estimate basic cooling capacity using a simplified method.
  • Read basic AC equipment specifications.
  • Understand how to select common AC equipment.
  • Understand duct sizing, diffuser selection, grille selection, and basic duct layout.
  • Explain basic ventilation and exhaust fan sizing.
  • Understand chilled water system components and schematics.
  • Understand pipe sizing, pump head, flow, and condensation risk.
  • Understand basic HVAC controls, sensors, BMS interface, and control signals.
  • Read basic HVAC electrical diagrams and understand wire sizing concepts.

Preview the Learning Journey

Below shows the raw footage of logging into my course platform, exploring the functions, start a course, watch a video lesson, browse through multiple lessons, visit the community forum, read comments from other learners, and posting a question.

Enroll in HVAC Beginner Course

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Buy This Course

$99.99

one-time purchase

Best for learners who only want this beginner course and focus on HVAC fundamentals.

Included:

  • HVAC Beginner Course
  • 46 lessons
  • 10 modules
  • HVAC Starter Pack
  • Certificate of completion
  • Self-paced access
Enroll in HVAC Beginner Course

Join Basic Membership

$5

per month

or

$55

per year

Best for learners who want this course plus selected beginner resources beyond this course.

Included:

  • HVAC Beginner Course
  • HVAC Begin (ebook)
  • HVAC Basics (ebook)
  • Mini Split (ebook)
  • Mini Split Maintenance Checklist
  • HVAC 101 (ebook)
  • HVAC Cheat Sheet
  • Standard community access
View Membership

Should You Buy the Course or Join the Membership?

Choose this

Best if

Buy HVAC Beginner Course

You only want this course and prefer a one-time purchase.

Join Basic Membership

You want the HVAC Beginner Course plus beginner resources.

Join Pro Membership

You want deeper HVAC learning, including design-related courses such as duct design, psychrometrics, cooling load, and chilled water system design.

Recommendation: If you are serious about learning HVAC continuously, membership gives better long-term value. If you only need the beginner foundation, buying this course separately is enough.

Learn from Practical HVAC Field Experience

This course is taught by Yu Chang Zhen, founder of aircondlounge. The teaching approach is based on practical HVAC experience across design, installation, operation, maintenance, commissioning, troubleshooting, and technical content development.

MBOT Professional Technologist

MASHRAE Independent CxS

HRD Corp TTT Certified Trainer

10+ Years HVAC Field Experience

“My goal is to help learners understand HVAC in a practical, structured, and field-relevant way, not just memorize theory.”

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What Learners Say

  • As a fresh HVAC Design Engineer, this course cover almost all the fundamentals needed to design an air conditioning system.
    Nur Al Faqih I. J.
    Enrolled in HVAC Beginner Course
  • I can testify this course is the best regardless of your level. You will still find reading the details mentioned very helpful.
    Dia Ousmane
    Enrolled in HVAC Beginner Course
  • The ease of following the different topics as they are clearly grouped by sections that can be easily navigated to.
    Learie Roberts
    Enrolled in HVAC Beginner Course

FAQ

Yes. This course is designed for fresh graduates, beginners, junior engineers, technicians, and anyone who wants to build a practical HVAC foundation.

This is a self-paced online course. You can access the lessons online and learn at your own pace.

The course is structured so you can complete one module per day over 10 days. You can complete it faster or slower depending on your schedule.

No. The course starts from fundamentals and explains HVAC concepts in a beginner-friendly way.

Yes. The course introduces simplified calculations for cooling capacity, duct sizing, fan sizing, pipe sizing, insulation checking, and wire sizing.

You will learn duct design basics, including duct sizing, diffuser and grille selection, basic duct layout, and simplified fan static pressure checking.

Yes. The course introduces chilled water system basics, chiller system types, pump arrangements, valves, water balancing, and schematic reading.

Yes. A certificate of completion is provided after finishing the course.

This course gives you a strong beginner foundation. To go deeper into HVAC design, you can continue with more focused courses such as duct design, psychrometric analysis, cooling load calculation, and chilled water system design.

Buy this course if you only want the HVAC Beginner Course. Join the membership if you want access to more HVAC learning resources over time.

Continue Your HVAC Learning Path

After completing this course, you can choose one of the following paths based on your needs to pursue further learning.

Browse All HVAC Resources

For HVAC Design Learners

1. RTS Cooling Load Calculation Course
2. Psychrometric Analysis Course
3. Duct Design Course

For Chilled Water Learners

1. Chilled Water System Course
2. Chilled Water System (ebook)
3. Psychrometric Analysis Course

For Project Engineers

1. Project Engineer Starter Pack
2. Duct Design Course
3. HVAC Design & Calculation articles

Start Building Your HVAC Foundation Today

If you are new to HVAC and want a structured path to understand air conditioning systems, sizing, ductwork, ventilation, chilled water, piping, controls, and electrical basics, this course gives you the foundation to move forward with more confidence.

Enroll in HVAC Beginner Course

Compare Membership Plans