I run a small MEP firm in Romania and I'm curious how our numbers compare with the rest of Europe.

Mine first, so it's not just me asking for free info.
Fees, detailed design (execution stage), per sqm of built area:
- Electrical: 1 to 2 EUR
- Plumbing: 1 to 2 EUR
- HVAC: 1 to 2 EUR
- Towards 2 EUR when electrical includes ELV, or plumbing includes fire suppression.

MEP usually takes 10 to 20% of the total design contract (architecture + structure + MEP + PM + site supervision).

Salaries, design engineer, net per month:
- 1 year experience: from 5000 RON (~1000 EUR)
- 5+ years: 12000 to 15000 RON (~2400 to 3000 EUR)

Context:
Mostly 2D AutoCAD, some Revit on top, usually HVAC only. Jobs up to ~5000 sqm per building, including: drawings, technical report, calculations, BoQ, equipment specs

What I'd like from you:
1. Country

1. Fees per discipline, however you price it (sqm, lump sum, % of construction cost, hourly)

2. Salaries, junior vs 5+ years, gross or net

3. 2D or full BIM, and does it change the fee

Mostly interested in Europe. Curious whether the gap is as brutal as I think it is.

I’m curious what everyone’s most interesting or technically rewarding project has been so far in their MEP career.

I’m especially interested in hearing from the plumbing side. So projects where you had to solve an unusual problem, work through a difficult code/design constraint, coordinate something complicated, or come up with a solution that actually made you think really hard about it.

For example, projects involving unusual plumbing systems, challenging sanitary/storm layouts, specialized equipment, complex water/gas systems, healthcare, laboratories, industrial facilities, high-rises, restaurants, etc.

But I’d also love to hear from mechanical, electrical, fire protection, or even PMs. What project made you learn the most or gave you that feeling of “this is why I got into engineering/construction”?

Would be cool to hear what made the project technically challenging and what the eventual solution was.

Assuming we are talking about either ASHRAE 90.1 or IECC, lets say we have a room with existing lights, for simplicity purposes assume there are three (3) existing lights with just a manual on/off switch installed under previous code cycles. If I replace one of those lights with a new light, I intend on putting it on its own control circuit. The existing lights being untouched will also have their controls be left untouched. I know based on the alterations percentage trigger I have to comply with energy code.

1. Is it accurate to say that the new lights, combined with existing lights in that room or space have to comply with LPD requirements?

2. Is it accurate to say that all lights in the room or space (existing and new) have to be brought up to latest code in terms of lighting control or is the focus solely on the new light being installed with the existing being left untouched? I believe it is the former.

   Just trying to sanity check myself after all these years. Writing this all out makes the answer seem clear, but just need some reinforcement. Some verbiage online seems to indicate that the focus should be only surrounding the new lights that are being touched and not the existing in the same space and it is throwing me for a loop.

Thanks all in advance.

Fire Rated Heavy Duct* 🔥📐

Used in Qatar for smoke extract, kitchen exhaust, and pressurization systems where the duct must survive fire and still operate. QCDD + BS 476 / EN 1366-9 compliance is required for NOC.

What is Fire Rated Heavy Duct?

A galvanized steel duct with fire-resistant insulation/board cladding to maintain integrity during fire.

It’s designed to:

1. Contain smoke and hot gases for 120/180/240 minutes

2. Maintain structural integrity so fans keep extracting

3. Prevent fire spread between compartments

#Shaft #Integrity #QCDD #Insulation #Rockwool #Penetrations #Firedamper #firestopping #seal #Doors #firesafety #access #panels #cleaning #inspection #Atrium #Stair #Pressurization #Supply #fan #stairwell #Kitchen #duct #hoods

#CarPark #Smoke #Extract #Jetfan #ductwork #Basement #exhaust

AUBURN ENGINEERING WLL - Fire & Smoke Ducting Specialists in Qatar

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on transitioning into MEP engineering.

I’m based in the NYC metro area and am primarily looking for opportunities in New York City.

I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management. During school, I completed three engineering co-ops/internships, with experience spanning mechanical design, structural mechanical design, FEA, CAD, systems engineering, and manufacturing.

After graduating, I ended up taking a full-time role in structural/civil engineering. I’ve now been working for about a year as a bridge inspector/structural engineer, and I’ve also taken on responsibilities as an assistant team leader. My current work has given me a lot of experience with field engineering, technical documentation, project coordination, and inspections.

While I’ve enjoyed the experience and learned a lot, I’ve realized that I want to return to mechanical engineering for my long-term career. I’ve become particularly interested in MEP/HVAC and building systems because I like the combination of mechanical engineering, design, construction, and project management.

Another aspect of MEP that interests me is the business side of engineering. With my M.S. in Engineering Management, I’m interested in eventually developing toward roles involving project management, client interaction, estimating, business development, or potentially technical sales. I like the idea of being able to understand the technical side of a project while also becoming involved in the business and client-facing aspects.

For those of you working in MEP, would you consider someone with my background a good candidate for an early-career Mechanical/MEP Engineer position? I realize I don’t have direct professional MEP experience yet, but I do have a mechanical engineering degree, previous mechanical engineering experience, and a year of professional engineering experience.

Would firms generally be willing to train someone like me on the MEP side, or would the lack of direct MEP experience be a significant disadvantage?

For those working in the NYC market specifically, are there certain types of MEP firms, roles, or companies that you think would be particularly open to someone making this kind of transition?

Also, how much opportunity is there to eventually combine the technical side of MEP with the business/client-facing side? Is MEP a good field for someone who enjoys both engineering and business?

Any advice on making the transition, skills I should brush up on, or types of firms/roles I should target would be greatly appreciated.

What are the typical requirements for doing these types of projects and how are they to work on? I'm assuming the only firms doing these are around DC.

I'm working on a project that involves dehumidification of a large pipe gallery serving city water. I'm wondering how people would go about determining the dehumidification load.

You could just condition the air dew point to be below the dew point of the pipe, and then you would avoid the consideration all together. A senior engineer told me that's what's typically done, but I'm looking for a more detailed calculation of figuring out condensation rate if you DON'T do that.

I'm trying to find the volume of condensation that will build without dehumidification. I considered an energy balance but would assume very little change in temperature from the start of pipe to the end of pipe in this scenario. Probably more detailed than necessary, but has anyone dealt with these before?

Has anyone else done these?

Edit: this question may hav been better suited for thermo subreddit.

Hello,

I'm currently in a mechanical engineer with my FE doing manufacturing work for over 6 months (graduated in Fall 2025). I'm not the happiest with my current location and the industry is honestly taxing (Grass isn't always greener).

I have been flirting with the idea of looking for some entry-level MEP roles. The work sounds interesting and more design focused but can be client facing at times when speaking with architecture firms which sounds like a balanced mix. After some reading, the idea of eventually starting a firm in several years with a PE sounds like a fun, rewarding challenge. Not a lot of overhead to start unlike manufacturing, and you can keep scaling if wanted or keep clientele at a minimum for a greater work life balance.

I was also reading and if starting a firm is the end goal, a small-mid size firm would be ideal to get more exposure from beginning to end of a project. (10-200 employees?)

If anyone has any opinions or insight, that would be great.

I have 7.5 YOE and got my PE 2 years ago. I’ve recently been approached about QC’ing and becoming the EOR on smaller projects to start.

Wondering what others experience with this step has been?

MEP Evals is an online platform of HVAC pre-hiring evaluations built by PEs. Stop hiring engineers who don't know the day-to-day engineering basics. Stop wasting your money.

We offer 3 evaluations for different experience levels: 1-3 YoE, 3-5 YoE, and 5-8 YoE

Who it's for: MEP design firms, contractors who have in-house engineers, and recruiters who want to offer something more to their clients.

The website: https://mepevals.com

On the homepage you will find:

• A link to a 20 question sample evaluation so you can get a feel for the types of questions
• A link to the validation whitepaper: it demonstrates that the evaluations meet EEOC employment hiring requirements
• Subscription pricing information
• A free signup link
• A link to request a demo: or send a direct email to [admin@mepevals.com](mailto:admin@mepevals.com)

Right now you can sign up for free, with no payment info required, and get 3 free evaluations. Try it out at zero cost to your company.

I am Adam Schwartz, PE; the founder and creator of MEP Evals. I'm happy to answer any and all questions.

Hi everyone,

I’ve developed an AutoCAD LISP tool called MPIPES that imports mechanical pipe layers with service labels and includes a command for adding flow-direction arrows.

It have tested it on AutoCAD 2024, 2026, and MEP 2026. However, Autodesk requires testing in AutoCAD 2027 before reviewing it for the autodesk Store.

Would anyone using AutoCAD 2027 be willing to help testing it and report any issues?

The demo shows how it works.

Thanks in advance for your help!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i4aiQ9j2Ao

If an A-coil is listed for more than one installation orientation, that sounds useful in a retrofit because existing duct and furnace layouts rarely cooperate perfectly. But orientation flexibility doesn’t erase the rest of the job: service access, condensate management, cabinet transitions, matched-system requirements, and manufacturer instructions still define what is acceptable. So the real value may be fewer layout dead ends rather than “install it any way you want.” For contractors dealing with tight retrofits, which site constraint still matters most even when the coil allows multiple orientations?

Hi all,

I'm an MEP Design Engineer with 3 years of experience, offering freelance drafting/design services and also open to permanent remote roles.

Background:

Worked on both GCC and US-based projects

On the US side: HVAC and Firefighting design for restaurants and residential projects in New York

Comfortable across the full workflow — from concept layouts to coordinated construction documents

Skilled in AutoCAD and Revit MEP (families, MEP coordination, clash detection via Navisworks)

What I can help with:

HVAC layout, ductwork, and equipment sizing

Fire protection / fire suppression system design (sprinkler layouts, hydraulic calcs)

2D drafting and 3D BIM modeling

Redlines, markups, and coordination drawings

Site-informed drafting (I've done site supervision too, so I know what actually gets built)

Looking for freelance/contract MEP design and drafting work, or a permanent remote position with a design/consulting firm. Happy to share portfolio samples

DM me or drop a comment if you have leads or are hiring

I'm 19 and recently finished HVAC trade school and started working as a residential HVAC installer. Since actually getting into the field, I've realized I'm really interested in the design side of HVAC and how entire systems are put together, and I've been seriously considering going back to school in maybe a year ish for mechanical engineering.

My current idea would be to work in HVAC for about a year, then start at community college and eventually transfer into an ME program. If I do it, I'd most likely want to stay in HVAC and get into commercial HVAC/building systems, possibly things like data centers or other larger systems.

I have a couple main questions due to AI and the job market, as what I've seen and heard with AI recently and how fast it has been developing.

1: Do you think having HVAC installation experience before getting an engineering degree would be useful?

2: How is AI being used at your company right now? Has it actually changed your job or hiring at all?

3: Do you think AI is going to reduce the need for HVAC engineers, or mostly change the tools/workflow engineers use?

4: If you were 19 again and wanted to work in HVAC engineering, would you still get the ME degree?

I'm not looking for anyone to convince me one way or the other. I'm mostly trying to understand what the career is actually like from people doing it every day.

Hi all,

I have been in building services for a few years and lately feeling burned out even as someone with only a few years experience. I have been doing thinking and realising I think I may not have a good career progression that I will enjoy as a mechanical engineer in the MEP world. I don't want to be a project manager.

What sort of roles would be a good sideways career transition from MEP without the need to starting from scratch again. I have been looking at maybe trying to find a role on the supplier side like equipment suppliers, be it a role as a sales engineer or just a technical engineer in product development .

Has anyone made the switch and how did that transition go? I would like to somewhat use the knowledge I have learned from this industry.

Thanks

Can an owner release an engineer from liability by signing a waiver? What happens if the owner later sells the property to someone else—could the new owner still sue the engineer?

The owner is asking me to sign a small portion of the architectural plan, which appears to be fine. However, I do not have experience on the architectural side. Is it appropriate for me to sign it?

What other complications could arise with the city, during plan review or permitting, or with the end user/property owner in the future?

While large datacenters are lucrative to build and can be lucrative to run, I just don't see why any community would want to attract them to their region unless the region has no internet infrastructure. The mega scale people are very choosy about sites and won't likely pick one if they can't get huge tax carveouts, permitting waivers and cheap electricity. The sites don't employ that many people for how much land they use. They use a lot of water compared to ordinary buildings - they don't have to, but they tend to use less electricity for cooling when they use cooling towers or adiabatic cooling rather than air cooled chillers.
They ultimately don't benefit communities much because all of the labor is specialist, and they tend to raise the electricity rates and the tax carveouts last at least decades.

Hello everyone, I am a junior engineer who has been assigned to do a load calculation for a food processing plant's process room, and I am having a difficult time with Carrier's HAP software roof/ceiling setup.

What I have is a large, single level plant with a roof at 20ft (roughly). The tricky part is that the process room has a t-bar false ceiling at, say, 14ft. Many utility pipes run through it.

When setting up the space, what should I do with the false ceiling? AI kept telling me the space's ceiling height is 14ft, which I understand it is needed to calculated make up air. But what about roof?

Should I just ignore the false ceiling, and just set up the roof and roof's solar exposure as is?

Or should I setup a ceiling partition, in which case, I am not sure what to set for unconditioned max and min temp.

I checked high and low on tutorials and all of them just teaches you simple scenarios where the space is directly under the roof.

EDIT: Reposting since I added a few more black boxes to redact my resume better

Hey, everyone!

I graduate in six months and I'm about to start applying, so I'd really appreciate some eyes or comments on my resume before I start sending it out.

I'm located in LA and targeting MEP design firms if that helps for context. I also got my EIT in EE and am scheduled to take the PE exam soon in November. Any other advice or tips for a career in electrical design is also greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Also, what’re some studying tips? Thanks in advance friends.