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22 CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE • FALL 2016 www.CTGreenGuide.com CT tech schools churn out green-trade pros A cross the 17-school Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS), students learn about energy-efficient building technology in a decid- edly hands-on manner. In 2011, with funding and support from the Connecti- cut Green Bank and the Clean Energy & Investment Fi- nance Authority, CTHSS faculty launched a new curricu- lum centered around the building of miniature homes containing state-of-the-art, efficient systems for heating, cooling, water and lighting. Since then, students have constructed nine of the so-called e-houses, and there are six more in the works. They act as laboratories for students learning car- pentry and masonry, as well installation skills for solar panels, geothermal systems, radiant floor heating, HVAC systems and other infrastructure. CTHSS produces an estimated 70 percent of build- ing-trades apprentices in Connecticut. The e-houses have grown in size over time, from initial footprints of 320 square feet to more recent footprints of 800 square feet. One e-house has two stories, with residential systems on one floor and commercial systems on the other. School districts outside Connecticut have taken an interest in the unique program. School officials from Chicago contacted CTHSS to learn more. E-houses aren't the only energy-efficient part of the CTHSS curriculum. Students also performed planning and installation work on an LED lighting retrofit at four schools in Hart- ford, New Britain, Manchester and Danbury. The utility-administered Small Business Energy Ad- vantage Program financed the project, which is expect- ed to save more than $126,000 a year, with an overall payback period of less than four years. CT Technical High School System PROJECT ELEMENTS: Facility-wide; energy & climate change; innovation START DATE: Mar. 2014 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: Nov. 2015/ongoing Students at Prince Tech in Hartford work on an "e-house." PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED CATEGORY: Schools GreenCircle Sustainability Awards 2016