How Much Does an Energy Manager Make?

Many people ask this question. In short, the answer is this: if you become an energy manager, you can pretty much expect to make the same salary you get now. Your salary may increase if you can justify it with the additional value you create. Energy managers are not created equal. To see why I say this, take a minute to read an earlier post, “What Does an Energy Manager Do?” The energy

Better Buildings, Better Plants

The U.S. Department of Energy will soon evolve its program structure, merging the current Industrial Technologies Program with the Buildings program. Deputy Assistance Secretary Kathleen Hogan gives a concise overview of “Better Plants, Better Buildings.” If energy efficiency is to be achieved in the buildings and industry sectors, these will be the critical success factors:1. Direct cost

"Learning is not compulsory... But neither is survival."

Thank W. Edwards Deming for the brilliant quote that serves as the title to this post. Deming essentially taught Japanese industry how to develop efficient industrial production techniques after World War II. The rest, as they say, is history. In the spirit of Deming, I am pleased to debut on September 23, 2011 a new webinar for the Association of Energy Engineers, entitled "Designing and

Checklist for Considering an Energy Performance Contractor

UNDERSTAND WHAT AN ENERGY PERFORMANCE CONTRACT (EPC) IS… and what it can and cannot do. An EPC allows you to obtain capital and expertise to install and operate energy-saving measures. In return, you share the savings with the vendor under specified contract terms. Energy savings depend on more than “new equipment.” Expertise and services are at least as important. A successful outcome is

Energy Efficiency's Role in Business Investment

Here's a two-part video on YouTube that challenges the conventional wisdom for measuring the investment performance of energy improvements. This presentation is intended for corporate decision-makers. Rates of return can be measured whether accepting or rejecting those improvements. in either case, this approach yields far more information than a simple payback measure. Click on the video's

Point, Counterpoint: Industrial Energy Consumption

A very succinct evaluation of today's energy policy comes from the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners. While some good points are made here, there's also a gap in the logic. My comments are below this quote:"One of the goals/objectives of the Obama Administration has been to delink fossil energy from Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So far it looks like they have been pretty good at it. The only

DOE Announces Over $30 Million to Help Universities Train the Next Generation of Industrial Energy Efficiency Experts

[Ed. note: The implementation of industrial energy efficiency depends as much on organizational dynamics as it does on technical acumen. The "next generation of industrial energy efficiency experts" must become adept at creating consensus across departmental lines. They must also demonstrate a compelling linkage between energy and business performance. These are skill sets that can and should