What Do Energy Engineers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Energy Engineers design, develop, or evaluate energy-related projects or programs to reduce energy costs or improve energy efficiency during the designing, building, or remodeling stages of construction. May specialize in electrical systems; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; green buildings; lighting; air quality; or energy procurement. They also identify and recommend energy savings strategies to achieve more energy-efficient operation.

Other tasks include:

• Conduct energy audits to evaluate energy use and to identify conservation and cost reduction measures.
• Monitor and analyze energy consumption.
• Monitor energy related design or construction issues, such as energy engineering, energy management, or sustainable design.
• Inspect or monitor energy systems, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) or daylighting systems to determine energy use or potential energy savings.
• Advise clients or colleagues on topics such as climate control systems, energy modeling, data logging, sustainable design, or energy auditing.
• Analyze, interpret, or create graphical representations of energy data, using engineering software.

We asked Energy Engineers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 60% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Energy Engineers analyze, interpret, or create graphical representations of energy data, using engineering software. They identify and recommend energy savings strategies to achieve more energy-efficient operation.

A typical day for an Energy Engineer will also include:

• Advise clients or colleagues on topics such as climate control systems, energy modeling, data logging, sustainable design, or energy auditing.
• Promote awareness or use of alternative or renewable energy sources.
• Monitor energy related design or construction issues, such as energy engineering, energy management, or sustainable design.
• Inspect or monitor energy systems, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) or daylighting systems to determine energy use or potential energy savings.
• Collect data for energy conservation analyses, using jobsite observation, field inspections, or sub-metering.

We asked some Energy Engineers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	81% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	58% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	73% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	19% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	12% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Energy Engineers also verify energy bills and meter readings. They may also inspect or monitor energy systems, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) or daylighting systems to determine energy use or potential energy savings.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Energy Engineers Prepare energy-related project reports or related documentation. They might also Monitor and analyze energy consumption.

In addition, they Train personnel or clients on topics such as energy management.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Promote awareness or use of alternative or renewable energy sources.

To some Energy Engineers, it is also their responsibility to Write or install energy management routines for building automation systems.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Energy Engineer, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

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