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
