How To Become An Energy Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an energy consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Maritza Jauregui Ph.D.

The work of an energy consultant is to analyze an organization or family's energy use. This is implemented to determine alternatives that would reduce energy expenses without disrupting the quality of resources. As an energy consultant, you would have to evaluate customers' utility expenses and examine the tools and appliances utilized for production. You must also develop energy strategies to minimize energy waste and expenses. Furthermore, you are expected to suggest materials with less price and effective energy characteristics. Oftentimes, you may have to gather and evaluate organizations' recent and former year's energy consumption data. You are required to interact frequently with organization management to make sure that planned changes are implemented.

You need a bachelor's degree in energy management, earth science, environmental engineering, or related areas for this job. Also, you have to demonstrate outstanding communication, client service, and analytical skill. You must always pay attention to details as well as be able to solve problems. With these, you will earn an average annual salary of $70,342 or $33.82 hourly.

What general advice would you give to an energy consultant?

Maritza Jauregui Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Sustainability, Website

Sustainability Specialist is a fairly new type of position, so individuals who like routine, are not good communicators, are not independent, or prefer a lot of training at the workplace will not like this position. What most individuals like about this job is the feeling of making a difference and changing companies for the better from within.

ScoreEnergy ConsultantUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,907

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 22.96%

male 77.04%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an energy consultant

Explore energy consultant education requirements

Most common energy consultant degrees

Bachelor's

57.7 %

Associate

13.8 %

High School Diploma

11.0 %

Start to develop specific energy consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Renewable Energy	19.25%
Project Management	12.34%
Energy Efficiency	7.68%
Emerging Technologies	6.83%
HVAC	5.55%

Complete relevant energy consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New energy consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an energy consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real energy consultant resumes.

Gain additional energy consultant certifications

Energy consultant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific energy consultant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for energy consultants include Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

More About Certifications

Research energy consultant duties and responsibilities

Design retrofit and manage construction.
Manage and set appointments through Salesforce.com
Design retrofit, manage project and conduct pre-and post-utility analysis.
Provide SharePoint development and administration, budget and financial reporting; manage invoicing; and develop training manuals and user guides.

Get energy consultant experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become an energy consultant. The most common roles before becoming an energy consultant include sales representative, sales associate team lead and customer service representative.

Prepare your energy consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your energy consultant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an energy consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable energy consultant resume templates

Build a professional energy consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your energy consultant resume.