Home energy inspector vs building inspector

The differences between home energy inspectors and building inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a home energy inspector, becoming a building inspector takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a home energy inspector has an average salary of $58,319, which is higher than the $51,781 average annual salary of a building inspector.

The top three skills for a home energy inspector include energy efficiency, HVAC and BPI. The most important skills for a building inspector are plumbing, customer service, and building construction.

Home energy inspector vs building inspector overview

	Home Energy Inspector	Building Inspector
Yearly salary	$58,319	$51,781
Hourly rate	$28.04	$24.89
Growth rate	-	-4%
Number of jobs	58,145	20,962
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	44	50
Years of experience	2	6

Home energy inspector vs building inspector salary

Home energy inspectors and building inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Home Energy Inspector	Building Inspector
Average salary	$58,319	$51,781
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $128,000	Between $31,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between home energy inspector and building inspector education

There are a few differences between a home energy inspector and a building inspector in terms of educational background:

	Home Energy Inspector	Building Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	San Diego State University

Home energy inspector vs building inspector demographics

Here are the differences between home energy inspectors' and building inspectors' demographics:

	Home Energy Inspector	Building Inspector
Average age	44	50
Gender ratio	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	11%	5%

Differences between home energy inspector and building inspector duties and responsibilities

Home energy inspector example responsibilities.

Work through Salesforce on a daily basis to manage existing and potential customers.
Conduct full energy audits recommending possible solutions for energy retrofit.
Represent department as SME on all areas of operation to internal and external compliance teams.

Building inspector example responsibilities.

Lead site excavations, form structuring, and supervise concrete pours.
Manage high volume case assignments to a final disposition of abatement, civil summons, criminal arrests or referral.
Work from ladders, hanging scaffolding, boats, and from the bucket of snooper and bucket trucks.
Assist in roofing and carpentry.
Administer FEMA floodplain and mitigation efforts.
Work orders for HVAC and architectural contractors.

Home energy inspector vs building inspector skills

Common home energy inspector skills

Energy Efficiency, 65%
HVAC, 14%
BPI, 11%
Safety Rules, 10%

Common building inspector skills

Plumbing, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Building Construction, 9%
Ladders, 8%
Construction Sites, 5%
Code Violations, 5%

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Home Energy Inspector
Home Energy Inspector vs Building Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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