Zonda - Resource Library

When planning and designing homes, architects should know that more than 12.6 million U.S. households rely on propane for their primary energy needs. Propane has many advantages such as offering heat for water, outdoor spaces, and inside the home. In addition, propane provides clean fuel for comforting fireplaces, cooking food, and drying clothing.

Propane can be stored above ground or in underground propane tanks, an option many builders are choosing in order to fuel homes off the natural gas mains. This course will cover important considerations when planning for propane use in residential construction.

This course provides a learning opportunity to understand the elements that provide endless design possibilities for direct vent gas fireplaces using "cool wall technology" for both residential & commercial projects.

Thermal bridging is a common occurrence—and has been overlooked for a long time.  Most building scientists knew thermal bridging was influencing energy consumption, but did not know how to measure it.  There was also not a standard or method of addressing it. Today, thermal bridging is widely recognized as a significant factor in energy efficiency, and advanced building modeling techniques allow for detailed analysis of thermal bridging’s impact on building design. This course will cover the basics of thermal bridging, as well as how thermal breaks can reduce energy loss and ways to avoid conditions that allow condensation to occur. It will also discuss codes, standards, and incentives to make buildings more energy-efficient.

Energy-efficient homes offer homeowners a wide range of benefits. They are also good for business, selling for up to 7% more than their non-energy efficient counterparts. Here are six project ideas that will help you stay up to date on the latest eco-friendly trends and strategies.

This course will discuss how architects and business owners can achieve outstanding performance and low-cost operation by incorporating high-efficiency, low-emission propane appliances into commercial new builds or retrofits.

We will discuss the challenges of designing commercial buildings in rural areas, especially those that do not have natural gas service, and how propane can help to meet resilience and sustainability goals, and maximize health, wellness, and occupant comfort. In addition, this course will explore applications for propane in different commercial building types, as well as case studies where propane was used.

In this installment of JLC's Building Sessions a panel of experts digs deeper into window energy performance. As we strive to improve the energy efficiency of building enclosures, it seems that windows are not getting smaller and fewer.

If anything, design trends favor more and bigger glass connecting indoor living spaces with outdoors. In the session, learn what builders and remodelers can do to make the most of windows - enhancing the aesthetics, comfort and energy performance of buildings.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. When the local power grid goes down a commercial building built today might incorporate backup power to be more resilient, to mitigate against financial losses, to protect life safety, to provide vital services, or some combination of these goals. This course covers this important topic, exploring the motivations for using backup power, relevant code and standard requirements, and the fuel options for backup power generators.

Making good decisions about improving an existing home's energy efficiency and lowering its energy costs can be challenging for a consumer. Homeowners, builders, contractors, and weatherization agencies have a wide range of energy efficiency upgrades to choose from, each with different benefits and costs.

This course compares the popular upgrades and systems available to help you make the best choice for your projects and is intended to serve as a guide to answer questions about prioritizing energy efficiency investments for existing homes. By closely examining a study commissioned by the Propane Education and Resource Council, the “Analysis of Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Existing Homes,” this course will provide objective information about the most effective measures and/or equipment choices across five climate regions in the United States.

This course will explore the benefits of a flexible dual-fuel home and how partnering with propane can offer lower costs, fewer emissions, and greater stability. In addition, propane should be considered as a primary energy option in areas of the country not under electrification mandates, as it offers favorable cost and emissions savings over electricity.

It should also be incorporated into all homes as a backup power option, but this is particularly important in all-electric or electric-ready homes.

The world is experiencing an increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, which results in more power outages and stressed energy infrastructure. Energy resiliency and decarbonization efforts are expanding due to frequent and intense weather events, the influences of economic and political pressure, consumer interest, and technological advances.

This course will discuss the importance of emergency preparedness and current approaches to power generation and grid resiliency. It will then examine how propane can be used for energy generation, backup power, fuel conservation, and resiliency planning.