Will AI replace energy auditors?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 0% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 7 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Inspect or evaluate building envelopes, mechanical systems, electrical systems, or process systems to determine the energy consumption of each system. (1h 15m a shift)
• Prepare audit reports containing energy analysis results or recommendations for energy cost savings. (1h 9m a shift)
• Identify and prioritize energy-saving measures. (34m a shift)
• Calculate potential for energy savings. (34m a shift)
• Collect and analyze field data related to energy usage. (27m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 62% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 61% talk face to face with others every day
• 52% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety

On Indeed, job postings in the Construction sector are at 129% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 15,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $74,690 a year ($35.91 an hour), 47% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $47,140 and $114,200 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects no change from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 154,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 15,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 147,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.09% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 218th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 154,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 34% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Mathematics, Systems Evaluation, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Analysis
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Structured query language SQL, SAS, R, Python, Microsoft Word

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Evaluate the energy performance of buildings using modeling software.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Solar Energy Systems Engineers (0m touched, $123k median pay)
• Energy Engineers (29m touched, $123k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 21 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.