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Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar

Design, develop, or evaluate energy-related projects or programs to reduce energy costs or improve energy efficiency during the designing, building, or remodeling stages of construction. May specialize in electrical systems; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; green buildings; lighting; air quality; or energy procurement.

$122,930 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).

now
9%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 61%
  • 16%
  • 23%
7%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
September 2027

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 61% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 6%. Today's estimate: 9%.

0%5%10%15%20%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 0% within reacho1, December 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 0% within reacho3, April 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 0% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 0% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 1% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 1% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 6% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 9% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 21 tasks from .

TaskKind
Manage the development, design, or construction of energy conservation projects to ensure acceptability of budgets and time lines, conformance to federal and state laws, or adherence to approved specifications.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 19%2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks1%Half by Sep 2028
Perform energy modeling, measurement, verification, commissioning, or retro-commissioning.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 12%2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeksStays with people
Review architectural, mechanical, or electrical plans or specifications to evaluate energy efficiency.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 11%5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days15%Half by Jun 2027
Direct the implementation of energy management projects.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 11%1 work day2.5 h to 4.2 work daysStays with people
Identify and recommend energy savings strategies to achieve more energy-efficient operation.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 7%3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days32%Half by Jan 2027
Prepare energy-related project reports or related documentation.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 7%6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days9%Half by Aug 2027
Conduct energy audits to evaluate energy use and to identify conservation and cost reduction measures.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 7%1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work daysStays with people
Monitor energy related design or construction issues, such as energy engineering, energy management, or sustainable design.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 4%3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days21%Half by May 2027
Promote awareness or use of alternative or renewable energy sources.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task.3%2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h46%Half by Oct 2026
Train personnel or clients on topics such as energy management.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 3%3.3 h50 min to 6.7 hStays with people
Research renewable or alternative energy systems or technologies, such as solar thermal or photovoltaic energy.Done more than yearly by most who do it.3%6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days7%Half by Nov 2027
Analyze, interpret, or create graphical representations of energy data, using engineering software.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task.3%2.5 h50 min to 1 work day40%Half by Dec 2026

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.