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greeNEWit Energy Auditor: an important job!

October 10, 2014 Written by  Seth Fawcett Comments Print
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Being an energy auditor with greeNEWit requires an enormous amount of responsibility. And rightfully so. We evaluate, analyze and diagnose the most important place in the world: your home.

Therefore, it is only natural that homeowners have a lot of questions for us. A whole lot. Some questions are fairly simple, like, “what kind of insulation do I have in my attic?”, or “how old is my air conditioner?” Some questions are fairly complicated, like, “why is my bedroom so cold in the winter?”, or “should I switch to gas heat?”

Every question, simple or complicated, deserves an answer, and every answer we give is grounded in our responsibility to serve both the homeowner and the environment. That is why one question, above all others, stands out to me whenever it gets asked during an energy audit. “How did you get started with greeNEWit?”

Now, you may be wondering, what exactly does my employment history have to do with serving the homeowner and the environment? To answer that, I'd like to skip back to the spring of 2012. I had just moved back to Maryland after graduating from Arizona State University with nothing to show for it but a diploma and some frequent flier miles. The last gainful employment I had was as a camp counselor during my freshman year, and my resume hadn't seen the light of day since then. Fortunately, after a few weeks of languishing in unemployment, my father told me of some new openings at the engineering firm he worked for. Unfortunately, the openings were with the surveying crew.

For those that don't know, surveyors determine the terrestrial position of certain points, and the distances and angles between them. Or at least that's what the encyclopedia will tell you. My understanding of surveying was what my boss told me, which was, “go stand over there and hold this thing until I say you can move.” As you can imagine, this was not my dream job. But it wasn't the hard work that made surveying so miserable. I didn't mind the early mornings or contending with the elements. What I did mind was the utter lack of purpose that I felt. Everyday, I came home without any feeling of accomplishment or growth, and everyday I wondered what I could do to change that.

That's when I heard about greeNEWit. A friend of mine from high school had worked there for several months, and had nothing but glowing remarks about the company. He told me of a young, team-oriented workforce, with the goal of simultaneously improving the comfort of people's homes while helping the environment. Now this was something I could grow with. So, armed with an updated resume and with a good word put in from my friend, I landed an interview with my present day coworker Michael Santiago, which went well enough to translate to an entry level position with the company.

The difference between surveying and greeNEWit was like night and day. At no point during my time as a surveyor did I receive any formal training. Within my first month at greeNEWit, I had already been certified by the Building Performance Institute as a building analyst, and my training, both formal and informal, has continued to this day.

The company culture with the surveying crew could best be described as indifferent. The culture at greeNEWit was, and is, friendly, supportive, and engaging. Immediately, I felt welcome and wanted, two things I sorely missed as a surveyor. But what stood out the most to me, both as an employee and a human being, was the positive difference I was making in the world. The void of purpose I had felt as a surveyor was completely filled by the knowledge that what I do with greeNEWit helps both the world we live in and the people who live on it.

That was two years ago. Over the subsequent two years, I have been asked, “how did you get started with greeNEWit?” hundreds of times, and every single time, I answer with the story above. It gives me a chance to explain not only how I got started, but why I stayed with greeNEWit. Not just for the good people, or the company culture. But because we are enacting a positive change both in your home and in the world, one energy audit at a time. That is our responsibility. And we will fulfill it.

For more about our employees check out  our team page on our website, or learn more about our energy audits and sign up to receive one for your own home.