Energy Efficiency Officer

Salary
Graduate: £16,000 - £19,000
Employee with 10-15 years in the role: £22,000 - £27,000
Senior employee: £35,000 - £40,000

Main Employers

Local authorities
Housing organisations
Environment agencies
Higher education institutions
Charities and NGOs
Energy agencies
Utility companies
Energy efficiency advice centres

Job Profile
The overall aim of an energy efficiency officer is to assist the UK in meeting its environmental commitments by improving the energy efficiency of commercial businesses and domestic properties. This is achieved by applying practical solutions and strategic thinking to energy saving. It also requires profile-raising of energy conservation and renewable energy options within an organisation or community.

Role and Responsibilities
Jobs will vary according to each employer; however you could expect to be involved in:

Developing, co-ordinating, implementing and monitoring strategies and policies to reduce energy consumption
Making presentations to promote the energy conservation cause
Establishing partnerships to secure funding
Promoting energy grants to local authorities and lobbying government
Supporting and promoting energy efficiency schemes
Site visits to provide advice, training and to check compliance
Preparing specifications, drawings and tender documents for building services, improvement or replacement work
Providing technical support to design engineers on new and refurbishment projects
Benchmarking energy consumptions against best practice guidelines

Qualifications
Relevant further education subjects include: Applied Chemistry; Building and Construction; Business Studies; Chemistry; Energy Engineering; Environmental Health; Environmental Science; Geology; Physics; Planning; Surveying; Sustainable Energy.

An HND in Business Studies, Engineering or Environmental Studies can also be a route in. Although a postgraduate qualification is not expected, it is desirable. This is especially useful if it offers a work placement and choosing a dissertation that is linked to an employer can be another useful way of building on experience and contacts.

In addition to academic qualifications, membership of a professional body such as the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) is useful. CIWEM provides training, debating, networking and socialising opportunities, and offers a student membership scheme which can provide useful contacts for the future.

Career Development
Energy conservation roles exist due to the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions. Legislation now requires gas and electricity suppliers to improve domestic energy efficiency and obliges local authorities to improve efficiency within the public and private sectors.

The main public sector employer is the Environment Agency, which regulates many of the processes and installations in the sector. The EA recruits at many levels, including graduates. Those working for private companies often specialise in both environment and energy at an early stage. Some of the larger energy companies offer graduate programmes.

There are a number of NGOs that deal with environmental issues in the energy sector, including charitable bodies promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Environmental specialists in these organisations tend to have many years of experience but there are occasional openings for less experienced individuals.

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