# Get paid to record your crew's work: plumbing, HVAC and electrical businesses

> Can an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company get paid to record its techs' work for AI? Which jobs count, illustrative earnings and what to agree with customers.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/plumbing-hvac-electrical
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-05
Updated: 2026-11-05
Sources checked: 2026-11-05

## Quick answer

Yes. Amelia Robotics pays trade businesses for approved recordings of work their techs already do, filmed from a head-mounted phone with the hands in frame. Typical pay is $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee, assuming 12.5 to 50 approved hours a week, and earnings vary. The money goes to the business once a month and the owner decides what to share with techs and leads.

## Key points

- Amelia names trades as a top priority and lists faucet and toilet installs, HVAC installation and service, water heater replacement, pipe work and wiring.
- At the typical rate of $10 per approved hour, 8 techs recording 20 hours a week works out to about $6,400 a month (illustrative).
- Most jobs happen in customers' homes, so get the customer's OK, keep faces and addresses out of frame and point the camera at the work.

## Can my HVAC, plumbing or electrical company get paid to record our work?

Yes, through Amelia Robotics' business program. Your techs wear a phone on a head mount while they do jobs they already do, and the phone records the task from their point of view with both hands in frame. Amelia reviews the footage, counts the approved hours and pays your business once a month with a statement. Typical pay is $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee, assuming 12.5 to 50 approved hours a week over four weeks. Amelia is clear that earnings vary and that your agreement and approved recordings decide what you are actually paid.

Nothing about the job changes for the customer except a phone on the tech's head. You still quote, schedule and invoice as normal. For the wider picture of how this works across industries, start with [how businesses get paid for recording work](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai).

Source: [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/)

## Which plumbing, HVAC and electrical jobs count?

Amelia lists trades among its top priorities and publishes five example task types for this group. These are the hands-on, tool-heavy jobs your crew does every week:

- Faucet and toilet installation, including supply lines, wax rings and fixture swaps.
- HVAC installation and service: condenser and air handler installs, filter and coil cleaning, refrigerant and electrical checks.
- Water heater replacement, tank or tankless.
- Pipe cutting and fitting: copper, PEX and PVC, soldering, crimping and gluing.
- Wiring outlets and lights: device swaps, fixture hangs and panel-side work you agree on.

Source: [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/)

## How much could a trade crew earn from recordings?

The table uses the typical rate of $10 per approved hour: people x approved hours a week x 4 weeks. It is illustrative, not a quote. Only approved hours count, meaning recording time Amelia has reviewed and accepted against the agreed requirements, so hours worn are not the same as hours paid.

Service techs rarely spend a full 40 hours with hands on equipment once you take out drive time, diagnostics on the phone and paperwork, so lower hour assumptions are more realistic for service-heavy shops. Install crews on long jobs can log more. Amelia's own sharing example pays 50% to the worker, 10% to the team lead and keeps 40% for the business, and you can set one default or a different split for each team.

| Example crew | People recording | Approved hours a week each | Illustrative monthly payment | Business keeps (40% example) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Small service shop | 3 | 15 | $1,800 | $720 |
| Service plus install crew | 8 | 25 | $8,000 | $3,200 |
| Multi-truck contractor | 15 | 35 | $21,000 | $8,400 |


## What should you agree before recording in customers' homes?

Amelia says trades work can include residential job sites, with tasks and locations confirmed on the setup call. That makes customer consent the first thing to settle. The safest pattern is a short line on the work order or booking confirmation, plus the tech asking at the door before turning the camera on. If the customer says no, the tech leaves the camera off for that job.

Audio matters too. About 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, require everyone in a conversation to agree before it is recorded ([Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press](https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/)). If the phone picks up sound, tell the customer and crew, or ask on the setup call how audio is handled. Some states also set rules for watching staff electronically. Connecticut, for example, requires prior written notice to employees and counts cameras as electronic monitoring ([Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 31-48d](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_557.htm)). Wherever you are, get each tech's written agreement before they record. This is general information, not legal advice; check with your own lawyer for your state.

- Point the camera at the fixture, unit or panel. Keep faces, family photos, mail, house numbers and screens out of frame.
- Leave out jobs with children or vulnerable people present, security system work and anything the customer marks private.
- Never let a mount change how a tech works around live circuits, gas lines or refrigerant. If it gets in the way of PPE, drop that task.
- Record the customer's OK in the job notes so you can show it later.

Source: [Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Reporter's Recording Guide](https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/)

## Why do AI and robotics companies want footage of trade work?

Robots learn physical skills from seeing hands do the work. A writer who filmed tasks for this market told NPR the head camera records both hands because that is how robots interact with the world ([NPR](https://www.kunc.org/2026-05-27/he-filmed-himself-doing-household-tasks-for-ai-robots)). Trade work is full of exactly the skills robots lack: threading fittings in tight spaces, handling flexible tubing, feeling for a seated connection.

Variety is the other reason. Micro1's head of robotics data told CNN this kind of data is needed in basically every environment because the movements are all different ([CNN](https://www.scrippsnews.com/science-and-tech/artificial-intelligence/how-filming-your-chores-could-train-the-android-butlers-of-the-future)). No two mechanical closets look alike, which is why footage from real jobs is worth more to a lab than a staged bench. For the mechanics, see [how robots learn from video](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/how-robots-learn-from-video).

Source: [CNN via Scripps News: How filming your chores could train the android butlers of the future](https://www.scrippsnews.com/science-and-tech/artificial-intelligence/how-filming-your-chores-could-train-the-android-butlers-of-the-future)

## How does a trade business start, and what do you need?

Applying takes four questions. A setup call agrees which tasks qualify and the recording requirements, then Amelia activates your business and you invite your techs. Before the call, have these ready:

- How many techs and installers are on the tools, and roughly how many hands-on hours each logs in a week.
- Which jobs you would record and which you would leave out (for example, commercial clients with no-camera rules).
- Smartphones for the techs who will record. Amelia's setup guidance says the business buys one head mount per person.
- A draft sharing plan for techs and leads, and the business payment details.


## Next step

To see where the money goes after an HVAC shop's costs, read [what HVAC business owners make](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/hvac-business-owner-salary), or try the calculator on the [physical AI hub](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai).

Origin Data Partners is independent. We may be paid by our partner when a business we introduce is paid; it never comes out of your earnings. [How Origin is paid](https://origindatapartners.com/referral-disclosure).


## Questions and answers

### Can my HVAC company get paid by AI companies to record our work?

Yes. Amelia Robotics pays businesses for approved recordings of work such as HVAC installation and service. Typical pay is $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee at 12.5 to 50 approved hours a week; earnings vary.

### Is it legal to record my techs while they work in customers' homes?

It depends on your state and on consent. Get the customer's OK for each job, each tech's written agreement, and remember about 11 states require everyone's consent to record a conversation. Ask your lawyer if you are unsure.

### Do my workers have to agree to wear the camera?

Yes, in practice. Workers start each recording deliberately, and you should get written agreement from each person before they record. Leave out anyone who does not want to take part.

### Will customers be on camera?

They should not be. The camera points down at the hands and the fixture or unit, and you agree permitted areas before recording. Keep faces, addresses and personal items out of frame.

### How much can a 10-person plumbing crew earn recording work?

At the typical rate of $10 per approved hour, 10 people at 20 approved hours a week is about $8,000 a month. That is illustrative; your agreement and approved hours decide actual pay.

### Do robots trained on this footage replace plumbers and electricians?

The footage is meant to teach robots physical tasks, so be honest with your crew about that. Today, robots still struggle with unpredictable spaces, and trades face the opposite problem: a [shortage of skilled workers](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/skilled-trades-shortage).

## Sources

- [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/)
- [Amelia Robotics: for robotics labs](https://ameliarobotics.com/robotics-labs)
- [Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Reporter's Recording Guide](https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/)
- [Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 557 (sec. 31-48d, electronic monitoring of employees)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_557.htm)
- [NPR via KUNC: He filmed himself doing household tasks for AI robots (May 2026)](https://www.kunc.org/2026-05-27/he-filmed-himself-doing-household-tasks-for-ai-robots)
- [CNN via Scripps News: How filming your chores could train the android butlers of the future](https://www.scrippsnews.com/science-and-tech/artificial-intelligence/how-filming-your-chores-could-train-the-android-butlers-of-the-future)

## Related reading

- [/physical-ai](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai)
- [Can a construction company get paid to record its crews for AI training?](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/construction)
- [HVAC business owner salary: how much HVAC company owners make](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/hvac-business-owner-salary)
- [Plumbing business owner salary: how much plumbing company owners make](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/plumbing-business-owner-salary)
- [Electrician shortage 2026: the numbers, the data center effect and how contractors keep crews](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/electrician-shortage)
- [How robots learn from video of people working (egocentric data, teleoperation, explained)](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/how-robots-learn-from-video)