Provides framework for IECC development with expanded scope and commitments, through standards development process Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council, the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions, released a new framework to assist governments and building industry stakeholders in meeting energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The Code Council Board of Directors, which consists of Read more
Industry News
Provides framework for IECC development with expanded scope and commitments, through standards development process
Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council, the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions, released a new framework to assist governments and building industry stakeholders in meeting energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals.
The Code Council Board of Directors, which consists of 18 government code officials who were elected by their peers, adopted the framework, Leading the Way to Energy Efficiency: A Path Forward on Energy and Sustainability to Confront a Changing Climate. This framework includes using the Code Council’s American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved standards process to update the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
Future editions of the IECC will build on prior successes including an increase of efficiency requirements by about 40%, or an average of 8% a cycle from 2006 to 2021, allowing the IECC to remain a strong avenue for communities to reach their energy efficiency and sustainability goals globally. With the base 2021 IECC efficiency requirements just 10% away from net zero for residential buildings, under the new framework future editions of the IECC will increase base efficiency using a balancing test proposed in bipartisan legislation that has cleared the U.S. House and Senate and has been supported by energy efficiency advocates and the building industry.
The IECC will be developed under a revised scope and be part of a portfolio of greenhouse gas reduction solutions that could address electric vehicles, electrification and decarbonization, integration of renewable energy and energy storage, existing buildings performance standards and more. The Code Council’s new framework will also provide optional requirements aimed at achieving net zero energy buildings presently and by 2030. Using a tiered approach, the framework offers adopting jurisdictions a menu of options, from a set of minimum requirements to pathways to net zero energy and additional greenhouse gas reduction policies.
“Thank you to our members and stakeholders for their feedback throughout this process,” said Greg Wheeler, CBO, President of the Code Council. “After careful consideration of all the input, the Board of Directors has approved this coordinated, comprehensive strategy to support the needs of our communities, building on the Code Council’s strong foundation of technical solutions provided by the IECC, International Residential Code and International Green Construction Code.”
“The Code Council is committed to furthering the progress the IECC has made to date and ensuring our energy code continues to meet the needs of governments around the world to advance their energy efficiency goals,” said Dominic Sims, CBO, Chief Executive Officer of the Code Council. “We have heard clearly feedback from the building safety community asking us to strengthen the IECC and create new resources to help communities address their climate goals. We will rise to that challenge.”
The Code Council has also announced the establishment of an Energy and Carbon Advisory Council which will consist of governmental and industry leaders to inform the Code Council’s efforts. The Energy and Carbon Advisory Council will advise on which additional greenhouse gas reduction policies the IECC should integrate, the pace that the IECC’s baseline efficiency requirements should advance, plus needs and gaps that the Code Council should work to address. The Code Council will begin outreach to fill the Energy and Carbon Advisory Council in March.
A call for applications for the IECC Development Committees will take place in March. The committees will represent diversity across nine interest categories and assure representation from a diversity of jurisdictions, experiences in building types and energy efficiency strategies, and geographies.
“Government officials will have the strongest voice on the committee, and the consensus process requires one third of the seats to be government regulators,” continued Wheeler. Committee membership will be determined through an open nominations process with no seats reserved for organizations.
For additional resources, visit www.iccsafe.org/energy.
Campground earns recognition for its electric to propane water heater conversion The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announced the Boston/Cape Cod KOA Campground as 2020’s Commercial Propane Project of the Year, an annual contest that recognizes the best residential and commercial projects being powered by propane. The campground is a popular tourist destination for people visiting Read more
Campground earns recognition for its electric to propane water heater conversion
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announced the Boston/Cape Cod KOA Campground as 2020’s Commercial Propane Project of the Year, an annual contest that recognizes the best residential and commercial projects being powered by propane.
The campground is a popular tourist destination for people visiting Boston, Cape Cod, and Southeast Massachusetts. Like any hospitality business, guest experience is extremely important and was a driving factor in their decision to switch from electric to propane for water heating.
After fielding customer complaints about minimal hot water use and long wait times, the KOA Campground started converting water heaters to propane tankless systems several years ago, but their budget only allowed them to convert two water heaters per year.
Fortunately, with the help of JaySan Gas Service operations manager Evan Pittsley, the campground was able to expedite converting all the water heaters to propane, for a total of 18 cabins running on propane, improving overall customer experience. Pittsley negotiated appliance and material pricing with vendors, secured incentives from the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE), and arranged rebates from tankless manufacturer, Rinnai, to help fund this project.
“The switch from electric water heating to propane instantaneous water heaters seems to be the perfect fit for this campground,” said contest judge Matt Evans, building systems analyst and certified HERS rater at Newport Ventures. “This eliminated the wait time for campers who want to camp and not wait for a warm shower. As an avid camper myself who rents cabins like these, I can attest to the benefits of propane tankless vs electric water heating firsthand.”
“What impressed me most about the project was the propane supplier’s ability to go above and beyond in finding a solution to provide the entire campground with propane hot water heaters,” contest judge Brian Brooks, manager at Brooks Gas, added. “It highlights the personal relationship our industry has with both their customers and suppliers — relationships that other energy providers simply don’t have.”
In addition to the tankless units in the cabins, the campground utilizes propane in a pump station that fills portable cylinders and RVs and in a laundry building with propane-powered commercial dryers.
“Propane tankless systems offer considerable advantages over electric water heating options, and we were thrilled this conversion could help enhance their overall guest experience,” said Bryan Cordill, PERC director of residential and commercial business development.
For those interested in learning more about PERC’s annual Propane Project of the Year contest, visit Propane.com/Project-of-the-Year.
To learn more about commercial propane applications, visit Propane.com/Commercial-Buildings-and-Construction.
The husband and wife team will present “Building a Resilient Mindset” at the free virtual event for home service professionals Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, released the full agenda for Professional Development Day, its free virtual conference, presented by Visa, taking place on March 24 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm Read more
The husband and wife team will present “Building a Resilient Mindset” at the free virtual event for home service professionals
Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, released the full agenda for Professional Development Day, its free virtual conference, presented by Visa, taking place on March 24 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm ET. Joining the speaker lineup, which includes keynote presenter Gary Vaynerchuk, are Julie Ertz, Olympian and two-time World Cup champion for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and husband Zach Ertz, Super Bowl LII Champion and NFL Pro Bowler. Six-time best-selling author of “Fix This Next” and “Profit First,” Mike Michalowicz, and futurist and marketing expert, Crystal Washington, were also added to the event agenda. The event will provide small business owners and their management teams with valuable lessons around people, profit, and process, so that they’re better equipped to tackle day-to-day challenges and improve efficiencies in their service business.
Julie Ertz, Olympian and two-time World Cup champion for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Registration for the free event is now open: getjobber.com/pdday2021. All registrants are automatically entered to win a set of team tablets, an iPhone 12, new team uniforms, and custom vehicle graphics. Attendees who sign up before March 5 will also qualify to win the early bird prize—a new MacBook Pro laptop.
“Jobber PD Day’s roster of speakers, from prolific authors to world-class athletes, know what it takes to reach the top of their respective fields,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “We’ve worked one-on-one with speakers to customize their training to the specific challenges home service entrepreneurs face, to ensure the time they spend at Jobber PD Day will give them immediately useful takeaways.”
The closing keynote session, “Building a Resilient Mindset: A Conversation with Zach and Julie Ertz,” will feature real-world advice for developing and strengthening the most important personal qualities that both athletes and entrepreneurs need to succeed and power through challenges and setbacks. The presentation will cover the Ertzs’ approach to breaking big goals into smaller milestones, how to move on from setbacks, and advice for couples navigating demanding professions.
Zach Ertz, Super Bowl LII Champion and Pro Bowler
Mike Michalowicz will present “Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business.” Before age 35, Mike founded and sold two multimillion-dollar businesses, became an angel investor, and then lost it all. Now, Mike is devoted to developing strategies for building healthy, strong companies. His Jobber PD Day session will outline how to utilize his Clockwork system for identifying your largest problems and overcoming your biggest hurdles.
Crystal Washington is a technology strategist and certified futurist who has advised Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, and GE. She’s known for taking complex digital topics and making them accessible to everyone. In her session, “Nurturing Relationships for Business Success,” she will explain how the key to long-term recovery and growth is nurturing relationships. Crystal will share the Dos and Don’ts of reaching out to clients when stress-levels are in the red, and advise participants on tech tools they can implement to impress peers, clients, partners, and prospects.
To learn more and to register for Jobber PD Day, click here.
Residential and commercial heating contractors can hone their boiler technology skills and training this spring by participating in Weil-McLain’s Knowledge Builder Sessions taking place twice a week in March, April and May. The weekly educational sessions, hosted by the technical training team from the leading North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems, will cover Read more
Residential and commercial heating contractors can hone their boiler technology skills and training this spring by participating in Weil-McLain’s Knowledge Builder Sessions taking place twice a week in March, April and May.
The weekly educational sessions, hosted by the technical training team from the leading North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems, will cover high- efficiency residential boilers on Wednesdays starting March 3 and high-efficiency commercial boilers on Thursdays beginning March 4.
Each course, running through late May, will cover a specific Weil-McLain boiler as well as installation and servicing applications. The complete course offering is available at www.weil-mclain.com/training.
“Our livestream training program will cover the gamut, from technology, features and benefits, to maintenance, troubleshooting, installation, controls and set-up,” said Dante DeVille, Technical Training Manager with Weil-McLain. “Contractors, engineers and facility managers alike can select a specific course for in-depth product training and gain insider tips for keeping Weil-McLain boilers running at peak operational efficiency.”
The residential training programs will cover applications, installation and servicing of Weil-McLain’s popular condensing and non-condensing boilers, including its new ECO® Tec high-efficiency premium residential boiler, the Evergreen® stainless steel condensing boiler, the Ultra™ corrosion-resistant boiler, GV90+® high-efficiency cast iron boiler and the AquaBalance™ combi or heat-only boiler.
Commercial boiler training sessions will feature the Stainless Vertical Firetube™ (SVF) commercial condensing boiler line with industry-leading thermal efficiencies up to 96.8%, the SlimFit® boiler designed for limited spaces, Evergreen® Pro and the full line of Weil-McLain cast iron boilers.
Commercial application courses include maintenance and troubleshooting, steam boiler replacement, commercial condensing boiler piping, hybrid applications, specifying high efficiency equipment and commercial condensing boiler controls.
For more information or to register for a session, visit www.Weil-McLain.com/Training.
John Guest, part of the Reliance Worldwide Corporation family of brands, turns 60 in 2021, celebrating a long history of delivering advanced plumbing technology, quality products and innovative solutions to a diverse range of industries. Over the years, John Guest’s push-fit plumbing products have paved the way for better drink dispense, water filtration, air and pneumatics, telecoms Read more
John Guest, part of the Reliance Worldwide Corporation family of brands, turns 60 in 2021, celebrating a long history of delivering advanced plumbing technology, quality products and innovative solutions to a diverse range of industries. Over the years, John Guest’s push-fit plumbing products have paved the way for better drink dispense, water filtration, air and pneumatics, telecoms, automotive and OEM solutions.
“With more than 1 billion fittings installed and in use worldwide, John Guest is a leader in the plastic push-to-connect category,” said Ted Antony, fluid tech marketing specialist at RWC. “OEMs choose us because we’re known for providing reliable products, offering strong process controls, meticulous testing and adherence to required approvals.”
The company’s founder, John Guest, was determined to run a company where quality of product and excellence of service was ingrained in its culture. From the company’s start in the 1960s, he encouraged a strong spirit of innovation, which led to the invention of the first push-fit connection in the 1970s by Guest himself. This technology, later known as Speedfit, made connections quicker, easier and more reliable than ever. Since then, the push-fit fittings have been developed for a wide range of applications.
To continue Guest’s legacy of producing reliable products and excellent service, the company maintains strict control over its entire engineering and manufacturing process, ensuring only products of the highest quality are produced. The company manages the product’s entire journey from its initial concept, to tool design and construction, to product manufacturing and finally assembly and testing.
“All of our fittings share precision engineering, a feature for which John Guest is renowned,” Antony said. “Whether you’re drinking a glass of water, getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist or getting your car washed, you’ve probably already experienced our products.”
60 years of maintaining customer satisfaction and providing high-quality solutions makes John Guest one of the top options for OEMs and installers. Having established and maintained a powerful legacy of anticipating the industry’s future and providing solutions OEMs can stake their reputations on, John Guest continues to serve the industry technology they can trust.
Its parent company, RWC, is also celebrating John Guest’s anniversary this year. After acquiring the brand in 2017, RWC became one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastic and metal push-fit fittings, pipe and valves.
Learn more about John Guest at johnguestusa.com.