YPiE Spotlight: Jack Paloucek

Name: Jack Paloucek

Title: Energy Efficiency

Employer: Eversource Energy

City/Town of Residence: Claremont NH

Education:

Montana State University - Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science w/Soil Science Minor

Why did you decide to work in the renewable/clean/clean energy industry?

I had always been interested in Sustainability in general, not necessarily clean energy specifically. But my life bath after graduating was all over the place, which I am thankful for and I will give a quick snapshot of! After University, I had the opportunity to live and work in New Zealand, where I lived in a rural area, played rugby, and was a consultant for farmers putting together farm sustainability plans. This was during COVID so everything was short lived, which eventually pushed me in the direction of moving to Boston, I worked as a field technician for an environmental remediation company. I was on an oil spill response team, and was confined space rescue certified, it was amazing experience, and no two days were the same.

From there, I pursued and acquired my EMT certification to try and become a firefighter in probably the most competitive first responder market in the US...Boston. Despite getting near perfect scores in the written and physical exam, without any connections in the civil service space, I was simply "on the list" until my EMT expired which was two years. During that time, I was also pursuing my growth as a rugby player, which eventually saw me play in Dallas, for some of their inaugural season in Major League Rugby.

My commitment to sustainability has always been in the background of my many different life experiences, it was just finding the right opportunity to dive in and fully immerse myself in building a career in it. While I am thankful for all of those different life experiences, I am even more thankful to be in a fulfilling, challenging, and growing field surrounded by very knowledgeable people.

What interested you in working at your current employer?

It was perfect timing really, I was recovering from an injury that left me unemployed, and I saw the opening for a contract to hire position at Eversource. After some research, and finding out that Eversource is the #1 Energy Efficiency provider in the nation, and the largest utility in New England, I knew it was going to be tough to get in. While the company (and I) both knew that I had limited experience in Energy Efficiency, I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to work in this space. Every day I am learning something new, meeting new people, and helping people that really need it.

Describe the work you do in more detail.

As an Energy Efficiency Consultant, I work with the Large Commercial and Industrial customers in NH to reduce their energy use. I do this by working with our contracted vendors to conduct audits, identify energy conservation measures, provide recommendations, facilitate connections, and drive energy savings. Which ultimately helps our customers build resiliency, save on O&M costs, and reduce energy costs long term. There is also a sales aspect to our job in NH, we have energy savings goals that we need to achieve as a public utility that is assigned by the Public Utilities Commission, so it is also my job to contact these customers, identify energy savings, and educate them on our program. The NHSaves program is how we educate these customers, it is a brand name operated by all of the utilities in NH, there are no NHSaves employees. By using this NHSaves brand, I am able to apply incentives to any energy savings, this money is to incentivize these customers to make more energy efficient decisions.

What do you believe is the most pressing challenge that lies ahead for the clean energy industry in the state?

Bringing Eversource customers value is the most exciting part of this job. I have always been interested in helping people, in any capacity. And it is simple, being able to help people understand energy and assist them on where to focus is the hardest part. In a complex space, what I like to focus on that customers really seem to appreciate is what can have the most "bang for their buck". Even assisting in ways that may not be in my job description, like references, or my personal opinions, I love that, there are no shortage of questions in the energy space.

What aspect of your job excites you most? Why? 

Fortunately, and unfortunately, we are slightly behind our neighboring states, which means that we have the ability to make progress exponentially. But New England in general is spearheading this clean energy transition, energy is expensive, and we have no choice but to work together on building resiliency, and tackling this effort. We are all blessed to be in this space, as we are further ahead in this energy transition than most, and I am confident that the work we are doing in Energy Efficiency will not be going away.

What do you believe is the most pressing challenge that lies ahead for the clean energy industry in the state?

Education. Whether that be educating the public, the legislature, or even our children, education will be the most pressing challenge in my opinion. There is so much immediate content at our fingertips, sifting through that to find what is the most accurate and up to date information, and how to succeed in this industry at scale with that correct information, that is the challenge.

What interested you most about being part of YPiE? (Young Professionals in Energy)

I heard about it as soon as I joined the energy space, and following along with other likeminded professionals is amazing to see and be a part of.

What advice would you give to someone that is new to the industry or fresh out of college?

NETWORK. As much as we love (some of us) being hermits, joining meetings and conferences via online platforms is easy, but not the most effective in building lasting, trusting relationships. As soon as those meaningful connections and relationships are built, the success of your career in this industry will follow.

What do you like to do when you aren't working?

Fishing, Hiking, Skiing, and my new hobby, Mountain Biking! All with my 2 dogs of course.

A typical weekend for me is...

Stressing about having too many new hobbies, and choosing which one to do, while simultaneously feeling guilty for leaving some out.

What's on your bucket list?

I would love to explore southeast Asia.

Tell us one thing most people don’t know about you.

I was a professional rugby player.

Fun Facts:

Coffee or Tea? And how do you take it?

Black Coffee, and when I am feeling fancy, I will mix up a home latte with frothed milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

Fave NH Restaurant?

A new discovery for me... Buba Noodle Bar in Manchester

Fave Musician/Band/Music genre?

I love all music, which I know is a copout, but lately I have been listening to a lot of Charley Crockett.

Fav Recreational activity?

Mountain Biking, probably because it is a new hobby and I am getting better every time I go.