STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA - More than 2 million people work in energy efficiency across the United States. It makes up the largest sector of the nation’s clean energy workforce.
Virginia McGrath has held one of these jobs for three years. She’s an energy auditor for Pittsburgh’s Conservation Consultants Incorporated.
“I think the energy efficiency field has made a transition,” she says. “Instead of saving energy and saving money, we’re talking about making a home safer and more comfortable. I think that resonates with people more.”
McGrath inspects all sorts of homes — from ones more than a century old to new ones. Lately, she has spent a lot of time working in a subdivision of the Butler County borough Mars.
Listen to McGrath share her story as she inspects one of these newly built houses:
Voices of Energy is an ongoing series that cuts through the rhetoric surrounding energy to feature people who work in all aspects of the industry. Check out the other parts of the series, including a feature on a field supervisor who responds to hazardous materials incidents, and a consultant who works in western Pennsylvania’s solar industry. Do you know someone who would make for an interesting profile? Contact Amy Sisk at asisk@wesa.fm.