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The differences between energy engineers and renewable energy consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an energy engineer and a renewable energy consultant. Additionally, a renewable energy consultant has an average salary of $94,129, which is higher than the $86,305 average annual salary of an energy engineer.
The top three skills for an energy engineer include HVAC, renewable energy and sustainability. The most important skills for a renewable energy consultant are renewable energy, solar pv, and regulatory filings.
| Energy Engineer | Renewable Energy Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $86,305 | $94,129 |
| Hourly rate | $41.49 | $45.25 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 16,765 | 8,710 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An energy engineer is an individual who is involved with the production of energy using natural resources as well as renewable or sustainable sources of energy. Energy engineers are required to research new methods and techniques to extract energy from scarce natural resources. They must design and test machinery used in extracting energy and develop ways of improving the existing processes. Energy engineers are also required to have an excellent understanding of statutory and regulatory requirements about energy use and sustainability concerns.
Renewable energy consultants carry out energy surveys and audits and advise clients on sources of renewable energy. They also advise on sustainable solutions within the built environment and infrastructure sectors. Their additional duties and responsibilities include analyzing data to calculate and compare current and historical use of energy. Generating reports that are understandable to the management and help in decision-making is also an important task of the job.
Energy engineers and renewable energy consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Energy Engineer | Renewable Energy Consultant | |
| Average salary | $86,305 | $94,129 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $120,000 | Between $61,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Arizona | - |
| Best paying company | Amazon | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between an energy engineer and a renewable energy consultant in terms of educational background:
| Energy Engineer | Renewable Energy Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between energy engineers' and renewable energy consultants' demographics:
| Energy Engineer | Renewable Energy Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 19.7% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |