Most Important Skills For An Energy Engineer At Resilient Buildings Group
To excel as an energy engineer, analytical thinking and interdisciplinary skills are crucial for developing unique energy-saving solutions, since "every building is different." Effective communication is equally vital to convey complex technical information to diverse building owners, alongside a continuous learning mindset and a broad understanding of policy, finance, and engineering, so that the solutions are "realistic."
Analytical Skills, Communication Skills, Problem-solving Skills, Adaptability, Interdisciplinary Thinking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jake Gehrung
Energy Engineering
Resilient Buildings Group
University of New Hampshire
N/A
Environmental & Related Sciences
Energy & Utilities
Consulting
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Analytical skills and interdisciplinary thinking are crucial for evaluating various energy-saving opportunities in diverse building projects.
2. Effective communication is essential to convey complex technical information about building systems to diverse building owners.
3. A strong desire to learn and grow, combined with an interest in the broader context of building design (policy, finance, and engineering), is vital for success in this field.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
There are a handful of key skills that I think are important. First, it's really important to be analytical. A lot of the work we do requires you to think outside the box and consider a variety of different opportunities for energy savings.
You have to be able to think interdisciplinary, considering all the various facets of buildings. You can't be narrow-minded or just repeat the same solutions. Every building and every project is different, requiring you to shift your thinking.
Building on that, it's crucial that we can communicate what we're learning and investigating about these buildings. All sorts of people own buildings, not just one type of person. Often, owners don't fully understand the components of a building, the science, or how their mechanical systems work.
It's critical that you can step outside of your analytical role and still explain concepts in a way that's helpful for a building owner. Otherwise, your hard work is essentially useless because the owner won't be able to act on it.
Beyond that, if you want to have fun and grow in the role, it's very helpful to be a quick learner and enjoy learning. This is especially true if you don't have extensive experience with engineering or energy. I didn't when I started, and I've made the most of opportunities to grow and learn, which has allowed me to get where I am today.
Finally, be interested in the big picture with buildings, understanding policy, finance, energy, and engineering. All of these come together in solutions. You can't only think about the money or the energy code; you have to consider everything at once and provide realistic solutions.