Retrofit Installer Technician

Becoming a Home Performance Installer/Technician:

Entry-level technical opportunities that support a clean energy future.

Home performance installer/technicians perform a variety of activities to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient, healthy and safe. Duties include repairing windows, insulating walls, floors and ducts, and performing heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) work to reduce heat loss, lower energy costs and improve comfort and safety. This Career Briefer describes the opportunities, pathways and requirements to becoming a skilled residential installer/technician.

Homes and buildings account for around 40% of all energy used in the U.S. and they generate a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.[1] In the race to drive down energy use and reduce emissions, the home performance industry deploys a wide range of strategies: applying highly-efficient building and home designs; advanced construction and retrofitting techniques; and using energy efficient technology and systems to reduce energy consumption and decrease costs to home owners and renters.

In the U.S. more than 2.3 million people work some or all of their time on building energy efficiency technologies and services.[2] In Washington, there are around 65 thousand efficiency jobs, and the sector is slated to grow by 2,300 jobs in 2022 (4.1%).[3] More than half of all energy efficiency jobs are in construction, where one in every five jobs deal with products and services proven to save energy.

By reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality, home performance projects can enhance occupant health and safety, and contribute to overall comfort. Home performance and efficiency also addresses the need for greater social and economic justice:
Providing direct services helps to improve livability and reduce energy burden for low-income occupants, communities of color and other underserved populations, who typically spend a disproportionate amount of their incomes on home energy.

Home performance installer/technicians perform a variety of activities that weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient. Activities include applying vapor barriers and insulation material like loose, blanket, board, and foam in attics, crawl spaces, basements, and walls; sealing air ducts, combustion air openings, or ventilation openings to improve heating and cooling efficiency; installing weather stripping around windows and doors; and adding insulation around water lines and hot water heaters.

The job is very physical and requires frequent standing, sitting, lifting, crouching, repetitive movements, and crawling in tight spaces. Installer/technicians regularly use common hand and power tools, ladders and other specialized equipment to perform weatherization work. Prior experience working in construction and knowledge of buildings is helpful.

Wage data for Washington shows annual earnings for a home performance installer/technician can range from under $29,000 to $74,000 or more, depending on experience, job sector and employer.[4] Recent compensation data from regional community action agencies that operate low-income weatherization programs in Washington, show that installer/technicians earned an average hourly wage of $18.50 ($38,480 annually) in 2021.[5] Regular employees also receive health care and retirement benefits.

Installer/technician pay and benefits generally increase with experience, and total compensation offered by private-sector employers are often higher than public-sector employers.

Installer/technicians work activities include addressing practical, hands-on problems and finding solutions to make residential buildings more energy efficient…