Zonda - Resource Library

Heating oil, also known as fuel oil or Number 2 oil, has been a popular choice for homeowners since the early 1900s. As an alternative to coal or wood as a fuel source for boilers and domestic hot water production, heating oil proved to be a reliable, clean, and economical choice for millions of consumers, especially in the Northeast where other fuel types were often more difficult to acquire or were more expensive.

But it is not an environmentally conscious fuel choice. Propane gas has the same remote fuel benefit, coupled with fewer emissions and higher efficiency equipment. This course details economic and environmental reasons why switching from heating oil to propane is a good choice for homeowners, residential builders or remodelers.

Nothing is driving greater change in the home building industry than energy efficiency, but prior to 2015 the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) didn’t address mechanical equipment such as furnaces and water heaters. The 2015 IECC now includes a new compliance path called the Energy Rating Index allowing builders more choices in how to meet the energy code. This course will take a closer look at how high efficiency propane equipment such as furnaces and water heaters provide flexibility in meeting 2015 IECC standards and help reduce a home’s HERS Index, in addition to helping projects gain points in above-code programs such as LEED and the National Green Building Standard.

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.

Propane gas is considered to be a clean alternative fuel by the EPA; it is a versatile and environmentally safe fuel source for healthy and sustainable living. Many people use propane to fuel their outdoor grills or barbecues, but its much more versatile than a cooking fuel in residential outdoor applications. This learning unit will explore alternative uses for propane, specifically for outdoor use in and around a home.

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.

Architects, engineers, developers, and facilities managers have numerous choices when determining fuel sources for commercial buildings, whether those choices involve the practicalities of space and water heating, the aesthetics of fireplaces, fire pits, and outdoor lighting, or the functionalities of building site energy needs.

Combined with these choices is the ever-increasing need to build and plan not only cost-effectively, but with sustainability in mind. This course will help specifiers compare the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of fuel sources and storage options, as well as examining the flexibility and reliability of propane, so that they can more readily determine which fuel source best meets the needs of individual commercial projects.

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.

Water heaters are the second-largest energy user in the home, costing residents hundreds of dollars each year. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy updated the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) standards, which increased water heater efficiency requirements and drove major product changes in the U.S. market. NAECA standards include federal regulations for water heater minimum efficiency levels. Against this backdrop of updated standards, products, and decision-making factors, this course will review a detailed analysis of water-heating systems.

This analysis compares water-heating technologies based on their energy, economic, and environmental performance, with a focus on the performance of propane-based systems relative to electric and heating oil alternatives. The course also reviews the federal standards for water heaters and describes the market implications for both new construction and replacements.

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.