Introduction
Saving energy resources in their own buildings is a priority for
all councils. All local authorities have environmental policies and
environmental or energy management staff and teams to ensure that
these are put into place and monitored.
Energy managers are responsible for the work of a team of
technical staff who make sure that the best possible energy
efficiency (and water conservation) measures are used in council
buildings.
Work Environment
Energy managers work from offices in council premises. However,
they spend part of their time visiting other council premises. They
also attend council meetings to report to elected councillors on
energy sub committees.
Daily Activities
Energy managers inspect properties to establish levels of energy
and water consumption in different buildings. They then assess ways
of reducing these, by setting targets for reduction of consumption
and introducing a publicity campaign to encourage staff to be less
wasteful. They may recommend large scale adaptations to the
structure of buildings. They may recommend introducing new
insulation measures or renewing water supply systems. One major
priority for many councils is to replace use of solid fuel by fuels
that produce less carbon dioxide emission. Energy managers
have to investigate the efficiency and costs of using fuels
obtained from sustainable resources.
They draw up a plan for assessing different council properties
over a time scale agreed with a council's property services
manager. They are normally fully involved in the construction of
new buildings and work closely with architects and building service
engineers to recommend energy saving systems at the design
stage. They are responsible for assigning staff to work on
different projects and make sure they receive regular reports from
them at different stages. The energy manager has final
responsibility for preparing estimates of work needed and costs,
keeping these within the section's budget.
At the end of each year the energy manager writes a report for
councillors and senior managers, showing how much progress has been
achieved.
Skills & Interests
- Good written and oral communication skills are essential.
Energy managers need to be able to produce clear, concise reports
and to present reports to meetings of other council officers or
council members (elected councillors).
- They must also be able to work with colleagues from different
departments - and when on site visits - with contractors and their
workers.
- Energy managers are responsible for large budgets and must be
able to assess priorities when allocating funds to projects.
- They must be capable of motivating and leading a team of
colleagues.
Entry Requirements
A degree in energy management/science/technology or a related
subject such as engineering is the usual requirement.
Membership of one of the professional institutes listed below can
be an advantage. A BTEC/SQA higher national diploma is
sometimes an acceptable alternative. There is a new S/NVQ 4 in
Managing Energy developed by the Institute of Energy.
Future Prospects & Opportunities
A small council might employ one energy manager. In a large
council there might be one senior energy manager and one or two
assistant managers. There are prospects of promotion to
property services or environmental services manager.
Further Information & Services
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers www.cibse.org
Energy and Utility Skills www.euskills.co.uk
The Energy Institute www.energyinst.org
The Institution of Engineering & Technology www.theiet.org
You may find further information about this area of work through
Careers Wales (www.careerswales.com/) or
in your local library, careers office or school careers
library.