Energy Efficiency · California
California Energy Efficiency jobs: 312,090 employed (2024)
Energy Efficiency Jobs in California (2024)
312,090
Rank #1 of 51
13.10% of U.S.
California-adjusted median
$85,842
Across 3 tracked energy efficiency roles, BEA RPP × 1.14.
Energy Efficiency sub-sector breakdown in California
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component
114,555
Certified and efficient lighting
69,722
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling
63,811
Other
38,952
Advanced materials
25,050
Where California’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 312,090 | #1 |
| Solar | 116,380 | #1 |
| Electric Vehicles | 48,965 | #1 |
| Storage & Grid | 19,309 | #1 |
| Hydropower | 10,633 | #1 |
| Wind | 8,384 | #3 |
| Clean Fuels | 4,373 | #1 |
| Nuclear | 4,106 | #4 |
California vs. the energy efficiency leader, median, and bottom
1. California
312,090
25th · Alabama
31,549
51st · Alaska
4,373
Energy Efficiency roles and pay in California
| Role | SOC | National median | California-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Engineer | 17-2199.11 | $103,940 | $118,492 | 4 |
| Energy Auditor | 13-1199.01 | $71,400 | $81,396 | 3 |
| Weatherization Installer & Technician | 47-4099.03 | $50,560 | $57,638 | 2 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in California
Did not hire
44.0%
Somewhat difficult hiring
31.7%
Very difficult hiring
19.0%
Not at all difficult hiring
5.3%
NAICS industry mix for California clean-energy jobs
Construction
261,790
Professional Services
179,480
Other Services
140,473
Manufacturing
135,925
Trade
114,418
Utilities
78,614
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
18,372
Mining and Extraction
11,089
Agriculture and Forestry
1,334
California’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Solar
116,380
Natural gas electricity
20,091
Traditional hydropower
10,633
Wind
8,384
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
7,465
Other electricity
4,482
Nuclear electricity
4,106
Coal electricity
1,831
Geothermal electricity
1,737
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
1,427
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
980
Full USEER workbook line items for California
Fuels
| Fuels total | 71,284 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 49,062 |
| Natural gas fuels | 8,437 |
| Other biofuels | 4,373 |
| Other fuels | 3,556 |
| Woody biomass | 2,390 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 1,600 |
| Corn ethanol | 844 |
| Nuclear fuels | 806 |
| Coal fuels | 217 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 177,515 |
| Solar | 116,380 |
| Natural gas electricity | 20,091 |
| Traditional hydropower | 10,633 |
| Wind | 8,384 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 7,465 |
| Other electricity | 4,482 |
| Nuclear electricity | 4,106 |
| Coal electricity | 1,831 |
| Geothermal electricity | 1,737 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 1,427 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 980 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 151,704 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 98,184 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 26,628 |
| Storage | 19,309 |
| Smart grid | 2,912 |
| Other grid modernization | 2,450 |
| Micro grid | 2,221 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 312,090 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 114,555 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 69,722 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 63,811 |
| Other | 38,952 |
| Advanced materials | 25,050 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 228,902 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 151,355 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 48,965 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 15,344 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 6,397 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 3,130 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 1,935 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 1,543 |
| Other vehicles | 234 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 261,790 |
| Professional Services | 179,480 |
| Other Services | 140,473 |
| Manufacturing | 135,925 |
| Trade | 114,418 |
| Utilities | 78,614 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 18,372 |
| Mining and Extraction | 11,089 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 1,334 |
Skill profile for energy efficiency roles
Top skills
Critical Thinking3.63
Reading Comprehension3.50
Speaking3.50
Active Listening3.44
Complex Problem Solving3.38
Writing3.38
Judgment and Decision Making3.32
Monitoring3.32
Knowledge
Building and Construction4.03
Engineering and Technology3.64
Design3.57
Mechanical3.57
Mathematics3.56
Customer and Personal Service3.44
Administration and Management3.37
English Language3.18
Core abilities
Problem Sensitivity3.94
Near Vision3.69
Oral Expression3.57
Deductive Reasoning3.50
Oral Comprehension3.50
Fluency of Ideas3.44
Inductive Reasoning3.44
Written Comprehension3.44
Representative tasks for energy efficiency workers
- Clean and maintain tools and equipment. (Core)
- Wrap water heaters with water heater blankets. (Core)
- Test combustible appliances, such as gas appliances. (Core)
- Test or evaluate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules. (Supplemental)
- Install storm windows or storm doors and verify proper fit. (Core)
- Contact residents or building owners to schedule appointments. (Core)
- Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems. (Core)
- Design or develop vacuum tube collector systems for solar applications. (Supplemental)
- Apply spackling, compounding, or other materials to repair holes in walls. (Core)
- Determine amount of air leakage in buildings, using a blower door machine. (Core)
- Test and diagnose air flow systems, using furnace efficiency analysis equipment. (Core)
- Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects. (Core)
Software and tools used in energy efficiency roles
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Access 🔥
Python 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
R 🔥
The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥
Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥
Microsoft Visio 🔥
Salesforce software 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Microsoft Windows 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Autodesk Revit 🔥
Google Workspace software 🔥
Bash 🔥
C++ 🔥
JavaScript 🔥
Education & training paths into energy efficiency
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification3.1%
Apprenticeship2.4%
OJ
On-the-Job Training14.3%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training14.3%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education20.0%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience11.1%