Staff Spotlight: Sao Chang, Senior Auditor
Sao Chang was born in Thailand, where he lived until he was three. In 2005, his family immigrated to the U.S., settling in St. Paul. Chang graduated from Central High School in the city’s Lexington-Hamline neighborhood and attended college at Winona State University, where he studied business administration and finance.
“I didn’t want to work in a big corporate setting, and one of my aunts works as a social worker at a nonprofit,” Chang said. “She told me, ‘You should try out a nonprofit and see how you like it.'”
Chang was searching for nonprofit jobs when he came across an energy counselor position at CEE. “I thought getting to work directly with people as a counselor sounded very interesting and being able to help them save energy seemed like it would feel meaningful,” Chang said.
Chang started as an energy counselor in March 2023 with the Home Energy Squad (HES) program, funded by Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy and implemented by CEE. Now a senior auditor, he visits homes to perform energy audits, many of which are offered at free or reduced prices thanks to city partnerships.
At a home, Chang inspects its insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater to identify energy-saving opportunities. When the audit is complete, Chang guides homeowners through a report of his findings and discusses recommended improvements based on cost-effectiveness and the homeowners’ goals. He also does same-day installations of LED lightbulbs, weatherstripping, and smart thermostats.
“I’ve worked with a lot of first-time homeowners,” Chang said. “Many say it’s like another part-time or full-time job, and they’re like, ‘No one taught us these things — we never considered insulation, air sealing, or LED lightbulbs.’ Leaving a house feeling like I’ve set people on a path to using less energy shows me I'm doing something worthwhile.”
One of Chang’s proudest accomplishments in his role took him out of the Twin Cities and south to Faribault, Minnesota. In 2023, HES staff collaborated with Minneapolis-based Sustainable Resources Center on an Xcel Energy-funded pilot project in Faribault to examine the need for high-efficiency storm windows on mobile homes. While SRC staff conducted home energy audits, Chang and his HES colleagues achieved some quick wins by installing energy-saving upgrades.
“The homeowners were really happy to have us there, knowing we were on their side and working to help them out,” Chang said. “It felt really great to know that we were able to bring our impact beyond the Twin Cities metro to another Minnesota community that could really benefit from it.”