GREEN MECHANICAL
CONTRACTORS WILL NEED
GREEN WORKERS
IN OCTOBER of
2007, the United
Association (UA),
working with its
employer partners
at the Mechanical Contractors
Association of
America (MCAA) and the Mechanical
Service Contractors Association, met
to finalize the plans for building the
Green Training Trailer.
We called this team the Partnership
for Environmental Leadership, and the
Green Training Trailer concept became
the UA/MCAA Mobile Classroom of
Sustainable Technologies.
e Green Training Trailer and the
training equipment on board represent
an overview of the basic components
of the emerging (and in some instances
re-emerging) sustainable techniques
used in both residential and commercial applications.
e Trailer contains:
Fuel Cell Trainer: An environmentally friendly method of generating
power directly from a hydrogen reaction. Demonstrates fuel being converted
directly into electricity with no intervening mechanical process.
Wind Power Generation: Provides
basic understanding of how wind
turbines/generators function as an
alternate source of energy.
Plumbing Systems Trainer:
Demonstrates pressure-assisted ush systems.
Also dual ush systems and low-water
(1-pint) systems.
Solar Water Heating System: A
roo op-mounted solar collector connected to a basic hot water heating
system with fan forced hot water coil.
Solar Photovoltaic System: Three
solar panels with a nominal voltage output of 15.5V DC at 2.26A and related
controls. Controller connected to a battery and 375-watt AC inverter.
Geothermal (Ground-Source Heat
Pump) System Trainer: A tank of water is
used to simulate the mass of the earth for
heat-exchange purposes.
High-Efficiency Condensing Gas
Furnace: Demonstrates a modulating
system with a variable-speed fan and
two-stage gas valve.
Gray Water Collection:
Demonstrates use of gray water and rainwater
capture techniques.
The Trailer is also equipped with
a rear-projection video/sound system mounted in the forward end.
It cannot be denied
that we are facing
national water
and energy supply
issues that must be
addressed.
PowerPoint presentations and other
instructional materials related to the
above equipment are shown during
each presentation.
The UA/MCAA’s Green Training
Trailer made its rst appearance March
2, 2008, at the MCAA’s 2008 convention in Palm Desert, CA. Since then,
the Trailer has gone on to shows in
Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and Ohio.
The Trailer will be at the USGBC’s
Greenbuild International Conference
in Boston in November.
More information, the current Green
Trailer schedule and an interactive virtual tour of the Green Training Trailer
can be found at www.hvacgreen.net.
WHY GREEN TRAINING?
Solar heating, photovoltaic electrical
production and geothermal ground-source heating and cooling systems
will add complex control systems
that HVACR service technicians will
work on.
e addition of gray water and rainwater capture and treatment systems
can triple the piping needed for a green
building. Green training for plumbers
and pipe tters must include awareness
of the increased possibilities for backflow and cross-connection that exist
within these new, interrelated piping
systems. Inspectors and code-writing
bodies are responding to these new
health and safety issues.
Additionally, residential re sprinkler systems are considered green and
are becoming mandatory in many
areas of the country.
In the area of HVACR service technician training, we have had to redesign
our training curriculum to address the
subtle shi in the baseline knowledge
of many of the students entering our
training programs.
Many entry-level students do not
have the depth of knowledge of basic
mechanical processes or the familiarity with hand tools that is assumed by
