What does the job involve?
Building services means everything that makes a building usable once the structure is up. CIBSE's description runs from energy supply, lighting and lifts to IT networks, security, alarms and fire detection. On the electrical side, you size the incoming supply and the LV distribution, lay out lighting and small power, and design earthing, lightning protection, fire and voice alarm, and comms containment. Job adverts on the government's Find a Job service ask for this kind of electrical building services design, often with HV/LV systems, renewables and BREEAM added.
Day to day, the National Careers Service lists CAD and BIM drawing work, designing controls for heating, ventilation and lighting, cost estimates, progress reports, and organising technicians and budgets. You work in an office and also go out to site, so expect to wear PPE. Projects cover offices, hospitals, schools, shopping centres and high-rise residential, plus transport hubs, airports and power plants. Healthcare work brings its own Health Technical Memoranda, and adverts often ask for them.
Consultant side or contractor side?
The apprenticeship standard for building services technicians describes four kinds of employer. The client is the developer, NHS estates team, local authority or facilities firm that pays for the work. The consultant is appointed by the client to produce the design and pass information to the contractor. The contractor builds, installs, commissions and hands over. Manufacturers and suppliers design and supply equipment.
On the consultant side you spend most of your time on calculations, drawings and specifications, with site visits and client meetings. On the contractor side the work is closer to the tools: coordinating installation drawings, checking what is built against the design, managing subcontractors and witnessing testing and commissioning. Plenty of engineers move between the two. Contractor experience makes a consultant's designs easier to build, and consultants who move to contracting already know how a design is put together.
What software will you use?
Revit for drawings and BIM models (AutoCAD is also widely used). Amtech or Hevacomp for cable sizing and distribution calculations. DIALux or Relux for lighting design. Apart from AutoCAD, those names come up in UK electrical design adverts, and one consultancy advert says every engineer on the team uses Revit. The Level 3 technician standard also names CAD, Revit and BIM. Get comfortable with spreadsheets too. The degree apprenticeship standard expects you to tot up electrical loads that way, and you will use them for schedules and fee planning.
How do you get in from the tools or from a degree?
From school, the usual routes are a CIBSE-accredited degree in building services or architectural engineering, or a related one such as electrical engineering. You can also take the Level 6 degree apprenticeship. It typically takes 60 months and ends with an accredited BSc or BEng. At Level 3 there is a technician apprenticeship, and a T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction.
From the tools, the National Careers Service says you can start as a building services technician and qualify on the job. You can also apply directly if you have electrical engineering experience. A working electrician who knows BS 7671 already has the regulations side covered. Adding an HNC or HND turns that site knowledge into design credibility. Some employers say they will consider an HNC or HND with relevant design experience in place of a degree.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Engineer ranges are ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), for all electrical engineers, uprated with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled. The advert figures come from single vacancies on the government's Find a Job service, and the JIB rows annualise the 2026 National Standard Rates for comparison (hourly x 37.5 x 52). Location, chartership, sector and seniority move pay most. Refer to the Electrical Engineers salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- QualificationsA CIBSE-accredited building services degree, or a related degree such as electrical engineering. Some employers accept an HNC or HND if you have relevant design experience.
- Entry gradesDegree entry usually needs 2 or 3 A levels including maths. The degree apprenticeship has typically asked for three A levels including maths and a physical science, or a completed Level 3 design technician apprenticeship.
- Technical knowledgeBS 7671, Building Regulations (including Part L), and LV distribution, lighting, emergency lighting and fire alarm design. Healthcare work often adds HTMs.
- SoftwareRevit and AutoCAD, Amtech or Hevacomp for calculations, and DIALux or Relux for lighting.
- Driving licenceMany electrical design adverts ask for a full UK licence because the job includes site visits around the region.
- Professional registrationYou don't need it to practise. EngTech, IEng and CEng are protected titles, and only people on the Engineering Council register can use them. You register through an institution such as CIBSE or the IET.
How to get there
- Age 16 onwardsLevel 3 startTechnician apprenticeship, BTEC or T Level in building services, or electrical site experience as an electrician.
- Typically 60 months as apprenticeDegree or degree apprenticeshipA CIBSE-accredited BSc/BEng, either full time or through the Level 6 apprenticeship with day release. An HNC/HND is the part-time option for people working on the tools.
- Early careerAssistant or graduate engineerCalculations, drawings and site visits under a senior engineer. One advert asked for three years' UK building services experience.
- Mid careerElectrical engineerRun the electrical design on projects, coordinate with mechanical engineers and architects, and attend client meetings.
- With experienceChartershipCIBSE Member or Fellow who also meets the Engineering Council's Chartered Engineer standard, giving the title Chartered Building Services Engineer.
- Senior careerSenior or principalLead teams, manage fees and resources, and sign off designs. Some move into project management or facilities management.
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Questions people ask
Is a building services electrical engineer the same as an electrician?
No. An electrician installs and tests the systems. A building services engineer designs them, specifies them and checks they are built to the design. Many engineers start as electricians, and that site knowledge carries straight across.
Do I need a licence to work as a building services engineer?
No. There are no reserved activities for this profession in the UK. What's protected is the title: you can only call yourself a Chartered Building Services Engineer, CEng or IEng if you are registered.
Can an electrician move into building services design without a degree?
Yes. The National Careers Service lists starting as a technician and qualifying on the job as a recognised route. Some electrical design employers accept an HNC or HND alongside relevant design experience.
What does the degree apprenticeship lead to?
The Level 6 apprenticeship ends with an accredited BSc or BEng in building services. Under the original standard, finishing it fully met the requirements for Incorporated Engineer registration. It typically takes 60 months.
Which software should I learn first?
Learn Revit for drawings and BIM, then a calculation package such as Amtech and a lighting tool such as DIALux. UK electrical design adverts ask for these by name.
Do building services engineers only work on new buildings?
No. The work covers refurbishments and retrofits as well as new builds. The National Careers Service lists retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient as part of the green side of the job.
Sources
- National Careers Service: building services engineer
- Skills England: building services design engineer (degree) ST0372
- Find apprenticeship training: building services engineer (level 6)
- Skills England: building services engineering technician ST0063
- Regulated professions register: Chartered Building Services Engineer
- Regulated professions register: Chartered Engineer
- Find a Job: Electrical Design Engineer (building services)
- Find a Job: Assistant Electrical Engineer
- Find a Job: Principal Electrical Engineer
- JIB Industrial Determination 2026-2028
