Using energy costs money, and can contribute to pollution. Energy auditors and weatherization workers help customers use less energy, lowering their bills and reducing their impact on the environment. Energy auditors often begin by inspecting homes or commercial buildings to measure heat, cooling, electrical, and gas usage. They use thermal infrared cameras to find energy leaks, and blower-door tests to measure how airtight a structure is. The next step is often to meet with building managers or homeowners to determine how to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. This requires extensive knowledge of efficient practices, and excellent communication skills. Weatherization technicians improve the efficiency of heating and cooling system ductwork. They repair windows and insulate attics, basements, walls, and other areas. They also prepare bids and contracts for weatherization work. Physical fitness is important for these careers, since energy auditors and weatherization technicians spend much of the day on their feet. They may find themselves anywhere from rooftops to tight crawl spaces when looking for the weaknesses in a building’s insulation. Positions are typically available in utility companies, or construction and engineering firms. Many experienced energy auditors choose self-employment to work on their own schedule. Some states require energy auditors to become certified; many auditors learn through up to three years of on-the-job training. Most weatherization technicians need a high school diploma or equivalent.
What they do:
Conduct energy audits of buildings, building systems, or process systems. May also conduct investment grade audits of buildings or systems.
On the job, you would:
Identify opportunities to improve the operation, maintenance, or energy efficiency of building or process systems.
Identify and prioritize energy-saving measures.
Analyze technical feasibility of energy-saving measures, using knowledge of engineering, energy production, energy use, construction, maintenance, system operation, or process systems.
Engineering and Technology
building and construction
product and service development
Business
customer service
administrative services
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
physics
Arts and Humanities
English language
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Math
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
order or arrange things
Visual Understanding
see hidden patterns
People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Analytical Thinking
Dependability
Independence
Cooperation
You might use software like this on the job:
Analytical or scientific software
IBM SPSS Statistics
SAS statistical software
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Data base user interface and query software
Microsoft Access
Structured query language SQL
certificate after high school or bachelor's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.