r/MEPEngineering

I'm designing the hvac system for a two story nursing home with mezzanines in the attic for the hvac equipment. I've got it all figured out (I think) except for the attic. The insulation is above the roof deck. We're using AHUs for the common areas, ptacs for the resident rooms, and an energy recovery DOAS for ventilation. My boss said we should just put return/exhaust diffusers in the common areas connecting to the attic and use it as a plenum to condition it. There are a few issues with this, and I can't seem to wrap my head around it. We can't use the DOAS to exhaust this air from the return diffusers because all of the exhaust has to be ducted (restrooms, soiled linen, shower areas, etc). We could use the attic as a plenum for the return air for the AHUs but the DOAS needs 500mbh of heat with only 14mbh of cooling so I was planning to use a gas fired DOAS but gas fired equipment is not allowed in plenums so I'd have to have a rather large condensing unit. She showed me a similar project they did a few years ago, but it was a school, and the DOAS was exhausting more than half the air from the classrooms using the attic/mezzanine as a plenum. I'm kind of stumped. The energy model says I need 90 tons of cooling if I use a separate ahu to cool the attic or if I don't condition it at all I need to add about 60 tons to the rooms below (I know, I've got to somehow condition it to avoid possible condensation). My boss insists that we shouldn't need much if any additional cooling because it worked on another project (she didn't do that design or work on the project, but she reviewed the old design). I'm a little stumped. Can you give me any insight? TIA

I have started an internship in Mep EE. I want to do the career but there’s one thing that I fear.

The massive responsibility. If the mech E or the plumbing system breaks nobody really cares. But if the Electrical system if I made a mistake and no other engineers catch it- how likely is it to start a fire and even lead to lives being lost or at least building being destroyed?

My worst nightmare would be to have people’s lives on my conscience.

Are most mistakes just going to cause power outrage and not fires? What about for hospitals if the power goes out then the patients die? How do you guys wrestle with this? It terrifies me honestly.

Hello, first time posting in this community. I am a licensed mechanical engineer with a total of 5 years of experience in MEP. I am looking for some side work outside after I quit my current MEP job (got a new job in a different industry). I am aware that I need to get E&O insurance, form an LLC and get a CAD software, but are there anything else I need to watch out for? A friend of mine has asked if I can do design work for a custom 8000 SF house. I want to make sure I have all of my basis covered and would like to get some insight from the community. Thank you!

I don’t see many single discipline firms in my area, as it appears most clients prefer a one stop shop for MEP. I know this is a challenge, but I want to break away and start up my own firm. Funds are healthy to maintain but are limited, hiring would be difficult until company starts cash flowing, currently estimating 6-8 months, based on potential client turnaround. I know finding a partner is key, but current prospects are not able or not willing to take a risk. So for those that started up single discipline firms, any recommendations or advice? How did you pick up work?

Hello, I recently completed an MSc in Aerospace Engineering, but unfortunately I do not yet have industry experience. I am looking for an opportunity to work on a full mechanical design engineering project that I can include on my CV to strengthen my chances of getting a job.

I am even willing to pay for proper mentoring, guidance, or structured project-based training if it provides real industry-relevant experience.

Could anyone please advise where I can find this kind of support, mentorship, or opportunity in online?

Thank you in advance for your help.

For context I am an electrical engineering student graduating in June 26' with a B.S. degree. I currently have an offer from a MEP consulting firm in the bay area of California, to start upon graduation. I have a high degree of interest in renewable energy and entrepreneurship, specifically solar and BESS. In the future I would like to start a firm that offers engineering consulting/design services for solar farms. My question is kind of open ended so feel free to take some liberties and offer your opinions/advice. Along with this if you could please answer these questions:

1. How many YoE should I consider before starting my own firm/consulting services?
2. What can I do in this role to better prepare me for my eventual goals?
3. Should I consider changing companies/roles in 3-5 years or stay with this firm until I branch off on my own?
4. What masters degrees should I consider acquiring that I can take while working to help me with my eventual goals? Would a M.S. in business be most helpful or another Engineering/Renewable energy focused masters program?
5. What type of licensure should I consider acquiring?
6. Is this a realistic pathway considering my current position and immediate next steps?
7. Is getting a P.E. license absolutely necessary?

Thanks all!

I am trying to layout diffuser for one big room. 65'x40'. Where 65' ft will be facing outside. In HAP I put this as single space and got my CFM. However, I think perimeter should have more CFM as they are big source of heat loss in Canada. Is it better I divide my room to two spaces like first 10'ft perimeter and then remaining 30'ft? However, still do single zone rooftop but I think HAP can give me CFM/sq.ft and based on that I might be able to put more CFM on perimeter. Is it better approach? Or something else recommend like rule of thumb? I am new to HVAC world. Hopefully, this help me to understand design more.

Does anyone use ASHRAE Guideline 36 for control sequences and diagrams? I always edited what I had done on the last project.

Every lunch-and-learn lately has the same vibe. Heat pumps are the future, electrification is moving fast, this heat pump brand is growing, that distributor is expanding, somebody saw something in ACHR News, and by 2026 we’ll all supposedly be specifying this stuff like it’s nothing. Great. I’m not against it. I actually want better heat pump options on projects where they make sense. But the second you ask boring engineer questions, the room gets weird. Who stocks the replacement boards? What happens in shoulder season with low load and humidity? Does the rep understand controls integration or just the rebate sheet? Are the submittals actually useful or are we guessing from a brochure table? The industry keeps acting like engineers are dragging their feet because we hate change. Honestly no. A lot of us just don’t want to stamp drawings around a sales story and then get blamed two winters later when the service chain is vapor. Anyone else feel like the technology is moving faster than the support network, or am I being too cynical?

More of a rant than me seeking productive feedback. I'm an electrical EIT with 1.5 years of experience and my only senior is the principal EE. No project manager at my (very small) firm so I'm functionally designer and project manager for everything I touch. I've taken a handful of large multi-family res projects from start of DD to permit with basically no QC or oversight from my sup. Occasionally my boss "hands over" projects that he's "worked on" ahead of a mid-CD deadline for me to take over.

The ratio of project-relevant work versus boilerplate in these supposedly 100%DD/Early CD drawings that I'm inheriting is maybe 1:8ish.

Oh, all the electrical panels are just generic and located in the main electrical room on floor 1? Great.

None of the transformers have actually been sized based on realistic load? Cool.

A generator with a life safety branch got added to the scope 2 months ago and there's still battery inverters in all the IDF rooms and shown on the single line? Nice.

This week, I am in a position I've been in I think 5 or 6 times now, in which he passes a project on to me on Monday, 50%CD/pricing submittal is due Friday and the more I explore his drawings the more screwed I realize I am.

Meanwhile, I'm working on several other large projects for 4-5 hours a day at any rate. I've sent him a breakdown of how much time I need to complete all the subtasks he's handing off to me.

At any rate, I should probably get back on the job market -- just figured some of you had experienced something similar.

https://preview.redd.it/r5d73tza9l2h1.png?width=856&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f5b0c1620940140d15e52db71796a5776f8aac3

I just finished up the semester and kind of dropped the ball regarding finding a full summer Internship. Some context: I have found a summer internship, but it starts in August and only lasts a month. I have 23 Credits left so I'm planning to take 19 next fall and then go part time for the Spring semester to finish up Senior Design. I live 40 minute away from NYC. I'm planning to study for the FE exam this summer and take it in the Fall Semester. I'm going to try to find fulltime work during my spring 2027 Semester. Any Advice for my Senior Design project? Should I keep applying to Internships? What would be the best use of my time this summer?

Joined as a product design intern in a small firm recently and I'm really struggling to come up with a solution for my project.

The project involves redesigning a plumbing equipment for a certain application/product that the company specializes on.

Plumbing equipment in general doesn't seem to have a lot of resources online regarding their design, so its difficult to know how to design one, especially the internal stuff (valves, gaskets etc.)

It also doesn't help that my manager is reluctant to meet me and ghosts my messages.

I think my performance in the intern will be heavily judged by how creative my solution is. Therefore I think I have to create something completely new from scratch.

What must I do in such a situation?

Do I design the exterior(which has a heavier importance) first and worry about the internal mechanisms like the valve later?

I would have to worry about prototyping as well.

So I’ve been working as an electrical engineer for about a year and a half now and make like 75-80k, which I’m living pretty comfortably on. The thing is, I just think it’s so boring and all i do is data centers (which are mostly all the same). It’s just constant copying and pasting, im like basically a revit monkey, and i just think about how pointless it is.

Maybe it’s my company, about 10 of the people in my office have quit in an office that used to be like 25 or so. So a good chunk are gone, younger engineers rarely stay and I’m just doing it bc it’s been pretty tolerable until recently, where now I just feel like I hit a brick wall. I’m kind of like a below average employee but do get good feedback at work, I mean I just get stuff done, but lately my motivation is just zero.

I’ve been applying and had a couple interviews, but the only company that seems interested right now is another MEP company. The economy seems bad at the entry level and even at my company the higher ups openly talk about how they can hire fresh graduates as interns just bc they can and they know fresh grads will take anything they can get.

I just feel so stuck and don’t know what to do, I’ve been applying to field engineering positions or I sale technical engineering sales, but haven’t heard back from these positions.

I also don’t know if I just hate working but the overall sentiment on this sub seems to be that everybody just does it for the money and there’s minimal job satisfaction.

I just feel so stuck right now and need to hear how others got out of a situation like mine.

I am an energy engineer and I have been in the industry for 2 years, and started as an energy engineer.

I have found it notoriously difficult to grasp eQUEST/energy modeling as a whole, and I consistently find mistakes in my work, and so do others. I have gotten very frustrated with myself over the past month, and have really broke down about it.

Does anyone have any resources for improvement or suggestions? I am questioning my choice in study at this point and, I’m really struggling at work.

It seems as though all my friends are doing better in their positions over me and that even the cohort who started the year prior to me are more successful on the whole. I’m just very downtrodden about my job, as I want to perform well, and I’m not sure why I’m faltering so much.

I work mostly with engineering and AEC firms on the insurance side. I see a lot of confusion around E&O, GL, COIs, contract requirements, and why premiums can be all over the place.

Insurance usually gets ignored until a client asks for something, a contract gets held up, or there’s a claim. Figured this might be helpful for anyone trying to understand the basics before it becomes urgent. Happy to answer general questions if it’s useful.

Do you feel like you can actually take sick days and time off? Or does all your work just compress onto either side?