A Career as a Building Services Engineer

In the first of the Young Energy Performance Group's (YEPG) Careers Blog series, we hear from Rossella Perniola on her career in building services engineering. 

Rossella is a Chartered Building Services Engineer at Scotch Partners and the Chair of CIBSE YEPG (Young Energy Performance Group). She studied in Italy and has been working in the UK for 6 years, leading projects of various nature, size and complexity. Passionate about the impact that the construction industry has on the environment and on people, she is keenly interested in emerging R&D and actively engages in the climate emergency debate.

What is building services engineering?

Building services are systems that allow people to live in buildings comfortably and safely. These mainly include ventilation, water, drainage, electrical services, heating and cooling. 

Who can embrace this career?

Many students never hear about building services engineering for a long time. In fact, many professionals join this industry from a diverse range of backgrounds (chemical, mechanical, electrical, environmental, energy to name a few!), just “by chance”, to then discover a very interesting world, full of challenges and opportunities!

Why is this career key now?

We are all witnessing the climate change before our eyes. Many countries, including the UK, have committed to reducing drastically their carbon emissions in a very short time span, with the intent of safeguarding our existence. Energy used in and by buildings is a key contributor to carbon emissions, meaning that this industry will play a central role in achieving the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

What are CIBSE and the YEPG?

CIBSE is the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. We have more than 20,000 members based in 95 countries. We are recognised globally for our reputation, promoting excellence and championing best practice to drive improved performance, safety, health and sustainability of the built environment. 

CIBSE YEPG (Young Energy Performance Group) are one of the many CIBSE Groups. They aim to reach out to young professionals and those aspiring to join the industry by supporting them in their career development, whilst focusing on energy performance.

CIBSE Membership is free for full-time students and heavily discounted for those in part-time education

Join Now


  • Unlimited downloads of guides, research papers and publications from the Knowledge Portal
  • A monthly digital subscription to the CIBSE Journal
  • Access to on-demand learning content including webinars, video presentations and live events. 
  • Be supported in your early career by the CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN) 

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