Energy Efficiency and Psychology Summer Internship (Annual)
Summer Intern - Evaluation, Research, and Behavior
The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) is seeking a motivated, organized individual to serve as an intern and support its Evaluation, Research, and Behavior (ERB) Sector work, with a focus on behavior. The ERB team supports CEE members and works with government and non-government agencies throughout the US and Canada to help improve the application of behavioral insights and program evaluation in the energy efficiency industry. This intern will work in the ERB sector (team of five, including one other intern) and report to the Senior Program Manager for Behavior, Kira Ashby.
About CEE
CEE is an award-winning consortium of efficiency program administrators from the United States and Canada that unifies program approaches across jurisdictions to increase impact in fragmented markets. By joining forces at CEE, individual electric and gas efficiency programs are able to partner not only with each other, but also with other industries, trade associations, and government agencies. Working together, administrators leverage the effect of their ratepayer funding, exchange information on successful practices and, by doing so, achieve greater energy efficiency for the public good. For more information, see our web site at www.cee1.org.
Position Overview
The start and end date for this internship are somewhat flexible and will be determined based on the needs of CEE and the availability of the selected candidate; the internship would potentially start in late May or early June 2019 and continue through August or early September 2019.
The CEE office is currently located at 35 Village Rd, Middleton, MA.
The intern will primarily work with Kira Ashby and the rest of the ER&B team as they support CEE members in incorporating behavioral approaches to their efficiency efforts. This work will involve gathering energy efficiency program information to be included in documents that showcase behavioral efficiency programs and collecting details on the specific challenges and successes program administrators experienced in implementing efficiency programs. Supervisor will provide assistance, guidance and supervision throughout these assignments; she will assign and prioritize work tasks, review assignments, and approve all completed work products.
Responsibilities
- Gather and organize information on members' energy efficiency programs that employ behavioral approaches and the related evaluations. This information will be used to develop a set of key takeaways from these programs as well as a set of case studies highlighting programs that exemplify tried and true behavioral techniques or innovative programs with promising initial findings. This work will include providing quality assurance for data and following up with members via phone and email to ensure that their work is accurately represented.
- Collect information on regulatory decisions that impact energy efficiency program administrators’ ability to claim savings from their behavioral programs.
- Assist with preparation for ERB Committee meetings and webinars, including generating committee lists and taking notes during meetings.
- Work with Kira Ashby and CEE staff to achieve any internship learning objectives required by your school
- Provide administrative support to other ERB team staff as they develop documents, reports, website content, or other work.
Requirements
- Coursework towards an undergraduate degree, preferably in a relevant field such as psychology, sociology, environmental studies, or public policy. Prior experience in the energy or environmental fields is desired. Prior experience working with energy utilities or in a nonprofit setting is ideal, but not required.
- Interest in energy efficiency or in research involving energy and the environment. Interest in evaluation, research, and human behavior or social psychology is strongly preferred.
- Experience with Microsoft Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook).
- Strong organization and time management skills, comfort working independently, and ability to balance multiple projects and priorities.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills; attention to detail.
- Class work and/or experience in dealing with data collection and analysis
- Comfort working with clients and/or customer service experience; ability to represent CEE and to articulate questions and resolve issues clearly over the telephone; customer service experience is ideal, professional demeanor is required.
Skills to be developed may include:
- Understanding of the energy efficiency program industry in the US and Canada
- Greater understanding of the intersection between energy efficiency, public policy, technology, psychology, and sustainability.
- Writing for business and/or technical audiences
- Customer service
- Data collection and management; protocols for information sharing
Compensation and Benefits
This is an unpaid position. Applicants are required to be eligible for (and subsequently obtain) either funding or course credit through their academic institution. This internship will provide the selected student with research training and an opportunity to see firsthand how their degree could be applied in a practical way to a growing industry. It also offers the opportunity to gain experience and connections in the nonprofit sector.
Application Information
Please submit a resume and cover letter via e-mail to Jennifer Smith at jsmith@cee1.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. You must be eligible to work in the United States independent of company sponsorship. CEE is an Equal Opportunity Employer.