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.

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.

Based on design trends that have evolved with the uptick in multi-generation living and spending more, as well as longer periods of time in our homes, this paper showcases design elements that are keyed in to making spaces more functional for today’s consumers.

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.

Over the past decade, the architectural, construction and engineering (AEC) sector has grappled with unprecedented technological and socioeconomic changes along with an unprecedented confluence of challenges to the health of our communities, our cities and our planet. Climate change is accelerating—the 10 years leading up to 2020 was the warmest decade on record. Buildings and their construction account for 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, the built environment is growing at a record pace in the United States.

It is estimated that 2.5 million new housing units are needed to make up for the nation’s housing shortage, a trend that has not abated in the face of a global pandemic. Economically, the price of housing has eclipsed the income of many Americans—precipitating a critical housing crisis in some regions—and adding to inequality and a rising homeless population across the nation. Amidst this, we spend as much as 90% of our time indoors, often cut off from nature. While these challenges are daunting, thought leaders in the AEC industry increasingly see it as an opportunity to be at the forefront of change, with examples of design leadership across the country and around the world.

Technological gains within the built environment are making zero-carbon construction attainable, dramatic energy savings achievable and taller mass timber construction possible. Industry research, along with bold demonstration projects, is expanding the sector’s understanding of carbon sequestration, life cycle assessment (LCA), Passive House principles, and biophilic and health-centered design. In this course you’ll learn from design teams who are embracing these strategies and delivering solutions that begin to address some of the most pressing global challenges of our times.

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.

Are we able to dive deeper into these numbers to find ways to reduce a building’s carbon footprint in meaningful ways? What are the methods used to measure building material carbon footprint and do they tell the whole story? Are there simple tools to assess material choices? This course seeks to address these and other questions by explaining the principal methods and tools that are used to assess carbon footprint in the context of building materials.

It includes a primer on product terminology, including life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental product declarations (EPDs), carbon footprint, embodied carbon, and whole building LCA (WBLCA) tools. It explains how biogenic carbon is treated in standard LCA methodology and dives into the forest side of the equation, explaining basics of the sustainable forestry cycle. This course also highlights some ways to track and assure wood comes from sustainable forests in North America and why demand for wood products supports investment in forest management.