Karla Solis and Alan Salazar are two students in a first-of-its-kind class at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, learning how to build energy-efficient homes.
The students not only learn about the science of energy conservation, but can practice what they learn building an actual house.

    TSTC's new green construction class is taught by building construction program department chairman Hugo Ortega. In the class, Salazar worked on a project that detailed cooling systems. He studied and made a presentation on such subjects as ventilation systems, insulation and different types of windows. He said that more coats of paint mean less heat gets inside a home and it stays cooler. He said he also learned about solar orientation and shading to keep a home cool.
Solis said she did a project on insulation and learned about different types and how it is chosen according to how it will be used. Solis looks forward to one day building green homes and commercial buildings.

   Salazar is looking forward to passing his knowledge of energy efficiency to children who can grow up to be conscious of how to apply this in their lives.

   Ortega said the green construction class was developed because he realized TSTC's building construction program needed to be more conscious of adopting green building concepts.

   The class is open to fourth or fifth semester students in the associate of applied science degree program. 

   Ortega said he also hopes professionals in the construction field will take the class to learn more about energy efficient building practices.
He said the class focuses on the science of saving energy and applies that science to a real house that is built outside the classroom.

   Learning about energy efficient homes is important because we all should be working with and for the environment, he said. Buildings can be built for sustainability and energy efficiency saves the customer money, he said.
It will take Ortega's classes one year to complete a house, and then it will be auctioned at cost only reimbursing what was spent on materials.
Ortega estimates that the home being built now will cost $12,000 to build, which includes a wind generator and solar panels.

   When the home is auctioned, the owner will hire a professional mover to move the building from TSTC to the private property. The goal is to build a small project, and apply green principles using renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind generators, Ortega said.

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