Energy Sustainability Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Develops engineering and design for sustainable, low-energy building projects. Develops engineering plans and systems that include recycling and reuse of materials, increased energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions.
Job Outlook
There were 5 Energy Sustainability Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 172 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Energy Engineer industry, which includes the Energy Sustainability Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Energy Sustainability Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $76,544.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $70,370.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Energy Sustainability Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $67,967.
Education and Experience
Posted Energy Sustainability Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 70% |
| Master's Degree | 29% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1% |
| Other | 0% |
Posted Energy Sustainability Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 47% |
| 3 to 5 years | 45% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7% |
| 9+ years | 1% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Energy Sustainability Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (77%)
- Problem Solving (70%)
- Communication Skills (61%)
- Writing (56%)
- Microsoft Excel (53%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Energy Conservation (64%)
- Energy Efficiency (60%)
- Sustainable Design (60%)
- Technical Support (58%)
- HVAC (56%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Performance Appraisals (17%)
- Technical Writing / Editing (17%)
- Staff Development (17%)
- Systems Integration (17%)
- Data Collection (16%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Energy Policy (6%)
- Energy Conservation Measures (5%)
- Energy Reduction (5%)
- Energy Industry (4%)
- Energy Simulation (3%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Engineering Analysis (1%) – marginal value $1,056
- Plumbing Systems (1%) – marginal value $769
- Building Codes (3%) – marginal value $683
- Energy Efficiency Assessment (3%) – marginal value $654
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Energy Sustainability Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Energy Engineer II
- Senior Associate Building Energy & Sustainability Engineer
- Energy Engineer I
- Instrumentation & Controls Eit
- Energy Engineer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Energy Engineer
- Renewable Energy Engineer
- Energy Efficiency Specialist
- Energy Analyst / Auditor
- Wind Energy Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Energy Sustainability Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Franklin Energy (39)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (29)
- Franklin Energy Services (18)
- AECOM Technology Corporation (9)
- ICF (8)
North Carolina
- Franklin Energy (2)
- Duke Global Health Institute (1)
- Duke University (1)
- Sanford School Of Public Policy (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.