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Employment Opportunities
Approximately 8000 people are directly employed as weatherization workers nationally, either by weatherization agencies or private contractors, with another 12,000 workers employed in equipment manufacturing, administrative, and other indirect jobs. This workforce is able to weatherize 150,000 homes annually, with approximately 50% of the work performed by “in-house” crews of weatherization agencies and 50% through private contractors.
In Massachusetts, the clean energy sector is growing at a rate of 20% annually, faster than any other job sector. In fact, today’s clean energy workforce of 14,000 in Massachusetts is on track to exceed 75,000 over the next ten years.
There are four main categories of jobs within weatherization:
Insulation Installers and Air Sealers (Technicians)
Crew Chiefs
Energy Auditors
Owner / Operators
Insulation Installers and Air Sealers (Technicians)
Insulation installers and air sealers are construction workers who focus primarily on energy efficiency. Employers often hire several different kinds of technicians to perform different kinds of manual weatherization work. This work includes sealing the house with caulk / weather stripping / other materials, installing windows, blowing in insulation, and basic carpentry. The jobs are difficult (extreme temperatures, heavy lifting, etc), and while they are not complex, they do require someone who is trained; otherwise, the house won’t be sealed and insulated properly.
Crew Chiefs
Crew chiefs are responsible for project management during the weatherization of a house. They require knowledge of all aspects of the technician job as well as management skills. In addition, crew chiefs are often responsible for blower door testing, customer service issues, safety compliance, and for training the technicians working on the crew. Typically, crew chiefs either have experience as air sealers and insulation installers, or have demonstrated competency in the construction field.
Energy Auditors
Energy auditors use a variety of methods to test the energy efficiency of a house or multi-family building and then recommend improvements to homeowners based on those tests and the resulting analysis. Auditors use a range of diagnostic instruments, including blower doors, infrared thermography, and gas combustion analyzing tools. In addition to conducting tests and analyzing the results, auditors must also analyze the cost-benefit of various improvements for homeowners. Finally, auditors must be able to explain energy efficiency results and measures to homeowners, thereby requiring customer service and sales skills, as well.
Owner / Operators
Owner-operators are contractors and construction trades people with energy-efficiency experience who operate their own weatherization business. They understand basic and advanced weatherization techniques, and are also knowledgeable about business financing, sales, marketing, insurance, and regulations.