Are you interested in breaking into the energy efficiency industry?
We’re a diverse team of academics, business consultants, college professors, engineers, entrepreneurs, equipment contractors, high school teachers, manufacturing managers, shift leads, and more, who have all come to work together toward our shared mission. Some of us took a direct path out of school to get here and others have made mid-career shifts. We know it’s not easy to break into a new industry, so we’ve created this resource for anyone who is passionate about our work and is motivated to make this their career. We welcome you!
Want to pick our brain on how to break into the industry? We’re happy to connect you with one of our staff to learn more about our industry through an informational interview. Email us here.
Associations
Arguably the best way to break into the industry – join the local branch of an energy efficiency association and start exploring by talking to members, attending lunch ‘n learn trainings, and in-person networking events. Be curious and get involved!
Our local chapter brings together designers, owners, distributors, trades people, consultants, academics and students to meet socially on a regular basis and discuss and learn about the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration sciences in the Oregon region.
“I learned of ASHRAE through lunch-and-learns and get-togethers they held at Portland State. The content was relevant to energy efficiency (my desired career path) and got me interested in the HVAC industry.”
Matt MartinezA hub for energy professionals. Our local chapter puts on networking and educational events, some held at Energy 350’s office!
“The nice thing about AEE is that most of their certifications also have an ‘In-Training’ option for EEs starting out who don’t meet all the requirements, but they can get a jump on it. I think it can also be helpful to join AEE groups on LinkedIn.”
Aran Osborne“I didn’t know about AEE until a couple years into my career, and I really enjoyed their Building Energy Simulation Forum at the Ecotrust building. I learned more about AEE and about APEM once I got to E350, and those introduced me more to the EE culture that exists in Portland. I think getting involved in lunch-and-learns or more interesting organizations while in school would have been beneficial. Seeing E350 or AEE/APEM involved in classes or the engineering department might have built a stronger foundation for me. I’m thankful I chose a path that gave me a lot of useful knowledge to use here, but, like others have said, when graduating I didn’t really know what a job in EE was, or who the players were.”
Matt MartinezA division of AEE supporting women with mentoring, networking, and scholarship opportunities.
A hub for energy managers. Our local chapter provides trainings, facility tours, and networking opportunities.
University Programs
If you’re in school or wanting to go back to school, consider these programs. We have staff that have participated in all of these programs.
https://osucascades.edu/academics/energy-systems-engineering
“My entry into the field was a bit different than most – I targeted energy efficiency through my degree in school (power systems specialization at CWU). After graduating I landed an engineering job that introduced me to the HVAC and refrigeration field and gave me experience analyzing building energy use and equipment fault detection. After several years I decided I wanted to dive further into the energy efficiency field and was lucky enough to land a job with E350!”
Becca CottrellGain experience performing energy efficiency technical assessments at local manufacturers.
Paid internships to gain experience in manufacturing. Try to get on the energy team while you’re there!
“I had no idea that energy efficiency consulting was an industry at all. Prior to making my way into energy efficiency consulting, I had been a mechanic in the Navy and was studying and doing MECOP internships as a manufacturing engineer when I was assigned a project that had a strong energy efficiency component. I reached out to Energy Trust of Oregon and was connected with the industrial team (Energy 350). This project was a great success for both Energy Trust and for the company I was working for at the time. My eyes were opened to the EE industry and the wonderful people working within it. This project experience working within the manufacturing space, gave me an understanding of our customer challenges and opportunities that made my perspective valuable in the EE industry.“In reflection, you could focus your attention on energy efficiency in a job or internship in manufacturing, controls, design, etc as a way to build your resume for jumping into the EE industry!”
Kelson Redding“I entered the MECOP program in 2015, landing an internship at ATI in Albany managing energy projects with Energy Trust of Oregon. This role allowed me to work with a variety of energy efficiency consultants. The E350 team would come by often, which was itself a great mentorship opportunity – walking the site, evaluating production systems from an experienced outside perspective, and spending time in general over lunch or field trips to the Portland office. The work and people left a great impression on me, so I was motivated to find my way back.“I wasn’t able to get a job in the energy industry right away, but leveraged my internships to get a job in aerospace. I joined a rotational program as a full-time engineer across multiple facilities in various roles, and made it a point to find and help groups involved with energy efficiency. If that wasn’t available, I tried to think about how energy was related to the projects I worked on. Years later, an opportunity presented itself to change industries conducting outreach for energy efficiency projects at manufacturing sites. My industry experience helped ease the transition, I can’t stress enough how important that was! Moral of the story – experience matters, get it where you can; every opportunity can be a steppingstone; and never stop trying.”
Luis MoralesFocus on power generation, power and energy systems design or applications, and energy conversion technologies.
The bachelor of science in energy systems engineering combines engineering fundamentals with energy-focused technical courses and business management classes.
https://osucascades.edu/academics/energy-systems-engineering
“When I was in college, I hadn’t put much thought into my engineering major. I picked Mechanical because it was competitive and would give me options. That wasn’t the best recipe to enjoy or thrive in school, and I struggled because of it. I took a more serious look at other pathways and found an Energy Systems program in Bend that resonated with me. I liked its mission and location, it was technically broad and interesting; had small class sizes, and excellent instructors – everything turned around for me there. I started enjoying school and did well. Energy Systems Engineering is somewhat of a niche field, but Oregon’s industry is healthy, growing, and ahead of the curve in many respects.”
Luis MoralesTheir Mechanical Engineering department offers coursework and research opportunities relevant to our field. For example, the The Healthy and Efficient Buildings Graduate Certificate focuses on building science, indoor air quality, energy modeling and sustainable design.
https://www.pdx.edu/healthy-buildings/
and https://www.pdx.edu/academics/programs/graduate/healthy-and-efficient-buildings-graduate-certificate
Focus on the science, technology, policy, business and economic aspects of energy systems.
“The Institute of Energy Studies at Western Washington University provided me with a path to the world of Energy. When I first came to college, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to study having interests in engineering, economics, and policy. In the last 10 years professors and students came together to provide an interdisciplinary degree around the world of energy. Professors with real life energy engineering and research experience came together to offer a path to decarbonization. The institute is focused around commercial building energy efficiency and renewable energy engineering. I believe they gave the right combination of technical and policy education to understand the current state of the energy sector and the tools to decarbonize.”
Hari NathCertifications
We don’t require certifications but it’s a nice way to validate your knowledge or get a formal introduction into this field. However, they can be expensive, and they are no substitute for experience.
This certification is meant for new or recent entrants into the energy management field. Learn best practices for improving energy efficiency and sustainability.
Learn how to conduct energy efficiency assessments of large buildings and industrial facilities, covering building systems, occupancy, operations, maintenance, and code compliance.
A great introduction into energy efficiency and energy management, this course covers a broad body of knoweldge for our industry.
This certification is meant for new or recent entrants into the energy management field. Learn best practices for improving energy efficiency and sustainability.
https://www.aeecenter.org/energy-efficiency-practitioner/
“I was looking for a course and certification that provided a broad overview without getting too technical. The EEP helped provide industry context and build confidence in industrial energy management.”
Jude KirsteinJust about 50% of our employees are licensed Professional Engineers, mostly in mechanical or chemical engineering.
https://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/
“I went to school for Industrial Engineering, so getting a PE in Mechanical was important for me to validate all the mechanical systems knowledge I learned on the job. The HVAC and refrigeration focus was directly applicable to my job.”
Eve GreenTraining and Educational Resources
Our staff has found this curated list of mostly free trainings and resources particularly relevant to the work we do. This is no way an exhaustive list – there is a lot out there!
An energy consulting company with 73 and counting webinars available to the public.
A nonprofit research organization that offers educational resources and puts on Summer Study, an annual energy efficiency conference. Sign up for their newsletter and check out the library of white papers.
A commercial buildings resource of NEEA. Check out their resources page and newsletter.
Videos, articles, and a handbook focused on compressed air systems.
They offer Level 1 and Level 2 courses focusing on energy and operational efficiency of compressed air systems. Classes are paid and there are free resources in their online Library. Check out their published articles.
For students, engineers and like-minded people learn technical engineering topics through short, simplified tutorials. Learn about motors, HVAC, compressors, chillers, and electricity.
Check out their events and research.
The Northwest Roots of Strategic Energy Management:
https://semhub.com/resources/the-northwest-roots-of-strategic-energy-management
PG&E Energy Centers offer more than 400 technical courses on a wide range of topics, including energy efficiency, decarbonization, and electrification.
https://www.pge.com/en/business-resources/business-education-and-tools.html
“I did a ton of classes through PG&E’s pacific energy center when I was newer in the industry. While it’s in CA, most are online these days and free.”
Meg WaltnerIn person, on demand, and webinar classes for energy professionals.
A mechanical design consulting firm that focuses on sustainability. Their Industry Engagement page contains research, training, and tools.
Check out the Trane Education Center and sign up for their Engineers Newsletter.
https://www.trane.com/commercial/north-america/us/en/education-training.html
US DOE supports ISO 50001, which is an international standard for companies to build and maintain energy management systems. Companies use energy management systems to establish the policies and procedures to systematically track, analyze, and improve energy efficiency.
- 50001 Ready Training Materials – Free Introduction to Energy Management Systems training modules
- The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Training Catalog offers free and on-demand trainings. The catalog is broad; only a subset are relevant to our work, for example: Re-tuning Training for Buildings With Building Automation Systems
“The U.S. DOE training resources are a game-changer for my Energy Management and Sustainability students at Wichita State University. They enable real-world energy audits and ISO 50001 gap analyses for industry and community partners, giving students the tools and confidence to succeed in industry.”
Kara McCluskey, PE, Senior Engineering Educator, Wichita State University“I joined an Executive MBA program to deepen my knowledge and refine the business administration skills I had developed over seven years of running a company. My goal was to transition into a career with greater impact, and for me, that focus was on anything in the renewable energy industry. Given the broad industry, I explored opportunities from roles at national labs and organizations like NREL and the DOE, to positions with international contractors that build wind and solar farms, to startup-focused green job forums and industry groups, and everything in between. I soon discovered that many roles prioritized technical or engineering backgrounds. I concentrated on leveraging transferable skills like people and team management, finance, and project management. From there I kept leaning into my experiences and formalizing them in universally recognized ways with credentials like the EMBA and PMP. I ultimately found an amazing opportunity at Energy 350 by leaning into those transferable skills as an asset that could provide insight and support for the organization through the diversity of my background.”
Nick Lorenz