Building an Energy Management Team
Depending on the size of your organization, energy management may not be a role that one person can successfully handle on their own. For many organizations, or communities, it will require a cooperative team incorporating many different disciplines to create positive changes within your organization. The energy management team is responsible for monitoring, benchmarking, implementing, strategizing, planning, and evaluating the energy management program. Here are some of the key positions you should fill when building your energy management team:
Energy Director
The Energy Director is the leader of the energy management team and serves as the bridge between the team and the rest of the organization. The person in this role should have access to senior leadership members that have the power to make decisions for the organization. For example, the Energy Director would need to consult with senior leadership members to gain funding for projects, secure resources, and approve employee training programs.
The Energy Director doesn't have to be someone who works in a utilities-related position in your organization. In fact, many successful directors do not work in the energy industry at all. What's important is that your energy director is a personable member of your team who is passionate about energy conservation. They should also be someone who can comfortably work with many different staff members, from maintenance to engineers to public relations specialists. Choosing someone who is smart, but often "hides" from other co-workers or chooses to work by themselves, may not be the best person to have in this position.
Energy Team
The Energy Team is a multidiscipline team that assists the Director with energy management goals. They are the ones responsible for implementing the energy management plan.
Your energy team should reflect the size of your organization. Smaller companies should have a smaller team, and vice versa. They should meet regularly with the Energy Director to discuss energy management goals and implementation.
Here is an example of the different types of fields that make up a well-rounded energy team:
- Utilities
- Construction Management
- Engineering
- Operations and Maintenance
- Financial Management
- Environmental Health and Safety
Support Services
- Communications Department: Can help share information about your energy management plans both internally and externally.
- Information Technology: Can assist with tracking systems and web-based solutions.
- Human Resources: Can help train new employees and administer performance and workplace standards.
Additional Resource
Energy Star© provides plenty of information to help you build your energy management team in their Teaming Up to Save Energy booklet. Download the guide below.
