One of MLGW's Green Jobs

Our very own Kieth Kulow was featured in the Commercial Appeal's online Green Edition because of his "green" job...

My Green Job
Energy Career changes its 'color'

Kieth Kulow began working for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division in 1980 as an energy technician. MLGW serves more than 429,000 households, businesses and organizations in Shelby County. "What many people don't know, however, is that MLGW is the nation's largest three-service municipal (publicly owned) utility, established in 1939," says Kulow.

"MLGW has offered a wide variety of programs and services during my 30-year career, including Energy Saver Homes (in the 1980s); Comfort Plus Homes (in the 1990s) and EcoBUILD, the residential green building program I manage today."

The details

Why did you choose a green career?

I did not choose a "green career" as much as a career in the utility industry. As interest in energy efficiency and environmental impact has grown, my job is viewed now as "green" - even though it's the same work I was doing in the 1980s! No matter
what you call it - energy efficiency, conservation or green - it is always wise to
eliminate energy waste, as doing so lowers your utility bill and improves comfort.

What education/experience did you need for your job? I have an Associate of Building Construction degree, which gives me a detailed understanding of how a building functions as an entire system, with every component interacting. I also attained my Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater certification to provide expanded technical expertise in building science and performance testing. There are very few HERS Raters in town and I'm proud to be one of the first.

Most recent job:

EcoBUILD Inspector, where I work exclusively with builders constructing homes under MLGW's EcoBUILD program and its energy conservation guidelines. (Sorry, I am not available to perform HERS Ratings for existing homes.)

Career highlights

What one green practice would you recommend to others? If you're building a new home in Shelby County, I highly recommend you utilize EcoBUILD to ensure your new home will be energy-efficient. Many people assume "new" automatically means "efficient," but I have 30 years of experience that proves otherwise.

What green trends would you like to see in the future? I would like to see Shelby County adopt more progressive energy codes and ensure their compliance so homes do not have such high energy waste. (Did you know, in 2008, the average local household used 36 percent more electricity than the U.S. average? Tennessee leads the nation in electricity use and the MLGW customer average is just slightly lower than the state average.)

I'm probably the only guy in town who wants to work himself out of a job - but if every home were built using updated energy code requirements and inspections, I could retire!