Green jobs

GREEN JOBS IN „ACTIVE IN PASSIVE HOUSES”

• GREEN ELECTRICIANS

• GREEN BUILDERS/CONSTRUCTORS

• GREEN MECHANICS/ENGINEERS

Everyone has heard of Green and how it relates to the environment. Most people think of

being green as turning off the lights when they leave a room or turning down the thermostat

a couple of degrees in the winter. While those things help, there is a much larger contribution to

be made.

Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility and that includes those that want

to be electricians, builders and mechanics. Green jobs are looking ‘very good’ these days.

MATERIAŁY DLA UCZESTNIKÓW PROJEKTU „AKTYWNI W DOMACH PASYWNYCH – MOBILNOŚĆ ZAWODOWA UCZNIÓW I KADRY”

HOW TO BE A GREEN ELECTRICIAN?

What is an electrician, anyway?

Electricians install and maintain electrical services in residential and commercial properties. Theytroubleshoot electrical problems. They do anything and everything associated with electricityincluding working one huge generators that provide electrical power.Since electricians have their hands on all aspects of electrical service it is no surprise that they arelooking at ways to make homes and businesses greener. Being green means saving energy andusing more energy that comes from renewable resources like the wind, solar or hydro generatedelectricity. Many forms of green energy have been around for many years and only now arebecoming mainstream.

Electricians Are Becoming Green Electricians

They are installing passive technologies that allow everyone to become greener. Circuits thatsupport lower loads are forcing users to use more energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances.Installing electrical circuits that support electricity generated by wind turbines is becoming farmore common.Many green methods of electrical generation allow for the consumer to use the power created bythe alternative method first and commercial power second. This means that if you have a winddriven generator you can use the power generated by the wind generator first. And if you requiremore power you can use the more traditional source of commercial power.

source: http://howto.yellow.co.nz/careers-and-work/if-you-want-to-be-an-electrician-you-need-to-be-green/

Your task:

Imagine you are a green electrician. Write an advert of your services to the local press. Use the ideas from the text above.

HOW TO BE A GREEN BUILDER/CONSTRUCTOR?

A green building is designed to reduce the overall impact of the built-up environment on humanhealth and the natural environment, through:• The efficient use of energy, water and other resources• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity• Reducing waste, pollution and harm to the environment.

Clean building

Clean building is an eco-construction or green building approach that aims to build in respect ofour environment and that of future generations, while offering maximum comfort to occupants. Itis also an approach that involves:• The use of architectural and urban-planning techniques that prioritise natural light, integratebio-climate principles, guarantee good thermal insulation of the whole building envelope andrespect applicable legislation;• The promotion of the use of renewable energies and/or low-pollution fuels;• The use of “intelligent” equipment: “Low energy” lighting and household appliances, efficientcorrectly-sized heating systems.

Passive building

The expression “passive building” refers to a construction standard that can be achieved usingvarious types of construction materials. It can also mean a green building construction thatguarantees an interior climate as comfortable in summer as it is in winter without a conventionalheating system. The purpose of the passive house is to reduce energy consumption in residentialbuildings by capturing a passive solar energy contribution, reinforcing building insulation, usingrenewable energies and recuperating heat.

Individual passive houses are often compact. This is one condition for achieving low energyconsumption. To build a passive building, the following requirements must be satisfied:• Excellent insulation all over the building, exterior insulation from 25 to 35 cm;• High quality triple-glazed windows;• Building orientation to capture passive solar energy and large south-facing picture windows;• A dual-flow mechanical ventilation system with a heat recuperation rate of at least 75%.• Solar thermal units for hot water requirements.

source: http://www.legrand.com/EN/green-building-description_12850.html

Your task:

Imagine you are a green builder/constructor. Give a short speech on th topic of passive houses tosome local people interested in this kind of buildings. Use the ideas from the text above.

HOW TO BE A GREEN MECHANIC/ENGINEER?

The energy efficiency of a building is the sum of several factors and is influenced by itsarchitecture, thermal insulation as well as technical systems. Technical systems of a building are inthe first instance mechanical systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), but also powersystems and building systems. In terms of low energy buildings and passive houses, there arespecial systems available. The strategy must be a combined improvement of architecture,insulation, and also of technical systems.

Mechanical ventilation system

The health and comfort of the inhabitants are the most important objectives of a passive housedesign. Excellent indoor air quality is indispensable. But this can only be achieved if stale air isexchanged with fresh outdoor air at regular intervals. This can definitely not be done by justopening windows twice a day.

Ventilation will work accurately only if polluted air is removed constantly out of kitchen,bathrooms, and all other room with significant air pollution. Fresh air has to be supplied to theliving room, children’s room, sleeping rooms, and workrooms to substitute the removed air.The system will supply exactly as much fresh air as is needed for comfort and for good indoor airquality; only outdoor air will be supplied – no recirculated air. This will lead to a high level of indoorair quality. Passive Houses will only work with highly efficient heat recovery. Heat from theexhaust air is recovered and applied to the supply air by a heat exchanger. The air flows are notmixed in the process. State of the art ventilation systems may have heat recovery rates of 75% tomore than 95%.

An additional opportunity to increase the efficiency of ventilation systems is the use of earthburied ducts. The ground during winter has a higher temperature than outdoor air, and during thesummer a lower temperature than outdoor air. Therefore it is possible to preheat fresh air in anearth buried duct in winter, or to cool it in summer.

Source: http://www.passivhaustagung.de/Passive_House_E/ventilation_06.htmlhttp://web.jrc.ec.europa.eu/radpar/

Your task:

A building company needs a green mechanic/engineer. Recommend yourself and specify your skills.Use the ideas from the text above.