A report by Environmental Entrepreneurs and E4TheFuture found that nearly 1.9 million Americans work in the energy efficiency sector.
Energy efficiency – which includes the installation, maintenance and management of building insulation and HVAC systems, is the largest sector in terms of employment within the U.S. clean energy industry as a whole, according to the report. Some 3 out of 4 clean energy jobs are in energy efficiency.
The report also found that 70 percent of U.S. energy efficiency workers are employed at small companies with 10 employees or less. There are 165,000 American companies involved in the energy efficiency field.
Around 75 percent of employers surveyed by Environmental Entrepreneurs and E4TheFuture reported that finding qualified workers for open positions in the sector was “very” or “somewhat” difficult in 2015. The top hiring challenge cited by employers was insufficient experience, training or technical skills, followed by lack of qualifications, certification or education.
Energy efficiency employment is particularly strong in California, which has 321,000 jobs in the sector, the most of any state, according to the Press-Enterprise, citing data from the report. California was followed by Florida, Illinois and Massachusetts in terms of number of positions.