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

What is an energy engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Julie Brandis

Energy engineers oversee the development, construction of energy projects with approved specifications and adherence to federal and state laws. You are to monitor industrial energy consumption or management. You are also expected to work with construction managers to survey the field and audit energy-related projects.

An energy engineer may also design systems and propose renewable technologies that will promote energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions and minimize environmental damage. You are to plan and work with the allocated budget for a project and negotiate service with specialist contractors. In addition, you are to document projects or prepare technical reports.

Energy engineers work in field-based roles, and at irregular hours, as such, you are required to be physically fit. You should also have strong scientific and mathematical skills, good knowledge of the market, and the latest industry trends. Project management and computer skills are also valuable skills for this role. To qualify for this post, you should possess a bachelor's degree in engineering or science. The annual average salary is $67,000.

What general advice would you give to an energy engineer?

Julie Brandis

Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Website

Oregon State University provides support in salary negotiation, also students can work with mentors who are familiar with company hiring practices and wage structures. If you have internship experience, that can help to boost your starting salary.

ScoreEnergy EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $86,305

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 19.66%

Black or African American 4.28%

Hispanic or Latino 10.73%

Unknown 4.74%

White 60.29%

Gender

female 14.33%

male 85.67%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an energy engineer

Explore energy engineer education requirements

Most common energy engineer degrees

Bachelor's

72.8 %

Master's

19.8 %

Associate

5.2 %

Start to develop specific energy engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
HVAC	11.89%
Renewable Energy	5.31%
Sustainability	4.86%
Project Development	4.67%
Energy Efficiency	4.66%

Complete relevant energy engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New energy engineers 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 engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real energy engineer resumes.

Research energy engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage DFMEA development activities and document closure of actions.
Develop tools to automate equipment fault detection and energy analysis using data collect from commercial HVAC systems.
Benchmark cost/consumption by store profile and climate zone.
Track and report energy savings across the contracted company's portfolio.

Prepare your energy engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your energy engineer 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 engineer 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 engineer resume templates

Build a professional energy engineer 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 engineer resume.