Zonda - Resource Library

Hot off a season of trade shows, including the International Builders' Show (IBS), manufacturers have debuted new products or improvements that make existing products cleaner and more energy-efficient—on the systems side of smart homes.

Hear more about five of these recent innovations. On the design side, see a fireplace with firebox that can have zero clearance to combustible materials. Then see the latest hydronic solutions efficiently delivering heat and hot water - as well as a powerful fuel cell that can work in concert with the grid.

This course provides an overview of the home remodeling industry, including industry growth trends, demographic insights, and typical project types. The course also explores the potential role of propane technologies in different remodeling applications, illustrating key performance characteristics and how they can add value to remodeling projects. The course concludes by describing the options for propane storage in residential applications.

This report is the product of over 1800 interviews used to gather a deeper insight into the residential construction industry. It uncovers key issues and emerging trends and provides the data so building companies can benchmark their business against industry standards and discover how the most successful companies systemize and grow operations.

From rusticated design to office-residential conversions, hear more about architectural trends and the forces behind them.

In this wide-ranging discussion we review six key trends—and how they're informing the future of design. The latest take on biophilic design; how are customization and individualization evolving; will circularity become a more important aspect of sustainability. Find out in this Studio Session.

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.

Innovative integrated weather barrier systems that combine structural oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing with an air- and water-resistive barrier not only result in a high-performance building envelope, but they also allow project teams to find efficiencies in design and construction. This course will discuss the components of integrated weather-resistive barrier (WRBs) sheathings, important design details you must be aware of to meet stringent building codes, and how these products can extend a building’s lifecycle and maximize its energy efficiency. We will also examine a new time and labor study that demonstrates how an integrated air- and water-resistive barrier sheathing system can be installed more efficiently than a typical building wrap over OSB sheathing and how this system results in a more energy-efficient structure.

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.

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.