Day in the life of
Energy Auditor – Michael Callahan
I have been working as an energy auditor for around 16 years and I think it is an excellent job choice.
The average day for an energy auditor consists of many different steps requiring all sorts of different skills. The very first thing your day will always consist of is meeting the customer. At this stage, your customer service skills need to be at their best and you must figure out what the customer’s goals are. Sometimes customers tend to ramble about millions of problems, but you need to aid them and point them to their main goals.
After you meet the customer, then you turn into Inspector Gadget and perform an inspection on the building. This step helps get you familiarized with the building so you can recognize the structural and design flaws that may potentially be causing the problems that your customer is worried about. Your two main priorities on any job site are to DIAGNOSE and DOCUMENT every little thing you see.
After this inspection, you perform a few more tests such as a blower door test or thermal image scan, and then you explain to the customer what you found that day. The biggest goal with this job is to make sure the building is working efficiently and safely.
Pros
The best pro to this job is that you get to help people. Yes, it is labor intensive at times and you need to crawl into small spaces that you do not think you will fit into, but the amount of different settings you will encounter creates for an exciting job that you will appreciate at the end of the day.
Some more pros would be that the job has a good surprise factor. You are never at the same job site twice, and you will encounter different problems everywhere you go. Because buildings were all built so differently, you”ll get to know the different types of buildings in your area making it a great learning experience each and every day.
I also enjoy knowing that the work I do is work that will benefit my customer for a long time. By being an energy auditor, you can help your customer pinpoint the changes that need to be made to a building, giving them great direction to start the home improvements that they need. These home improvements, such as insulation and air sealing, are solutions whose benefits last for a very long time. That is satisfying to know.
Cons
Cons would be that customers have a very hard time understanding the information we give them. There are days where you are going to spend a very long time explaining terms and processes to your customer and they have to understand because, at the end of the day, they are about to make some expensive and serious improvements to their space.
Another con would be that this job relies a lot on details. If one detail along the way is wrong or contains faulty information, then that could lead to many complications along the way so you really need to pay attention to details and make sure everything is done right the first time.
Advice to aspiring energy auditors
Overall, to be an energy auditor you need to be a self-starter. You cannot give lackluster work in this job and give a bad performance, because your job is so important to people and their home comfort. When we come home at the end of the day. We want to feel a sense of relaxation and by improving the air quality in someone’s home, you can improve their ability to relax and be at peace.
This job is not for someone who wants a desk job, you must be ready to be active and simply talk to people. Being willing to help people without complaints or hesitation is key to what companies look for. Expertise in your field also goes a long way. Take classes at your local college, read up on the subject during your free time. I have also seen local internships benefit students tremendously and give them the entry experience needed to do great in their future careers. Be Knowledgeable and Be Helpful and I can guarantee you that you will do great things.
.jpg)
Energy Auditors
conduct energy audits of buildings, building systems, or process systems. May also conduct investment grade audits of buildings or systems.
The Organizer
