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/ sections 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.

They work for county, district/borough, unitary and metropolitan councils.

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. Most are held in the evening.

Hours of work are 37 per week. Some flexible hours are required.

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.

Estimated salary range

£23,259 – £30,891

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

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.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Building Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers www.cibse.org

Institution of Electrical Engineers www.iee.org.uk

Institute of Energy http://www.energyinst.org.uk

Institution of Mechanical Engineers www.imeche.org.uk

Energy and Utility Skills www.euskills.co.uk

You may find further information about this area of work in your local careers office/school careers library – under RAN.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Energy Manager vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.