Organization(s)
FBC
Publication Date
Description
A supplement to the 2012 Florida Building Code on energy efficiency and conservation.
This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.
Showing results 1 - 50 of 86
Organization(s)
BetterBuiltNW,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Web page describing essential guidelines and recommendations for optimal installation of ductless heat pumps in cold climates, ensuring maximum heating performance and long-term satisfaction for homeowners, supported by research-backed insights and detailed resources.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report describing an air distribution system composed of a series of uniformly-sized ducts that terminate in rooms throughout the home and return to a central manifold, similar in fashion to a “home-run” cross-linked polyethylene plumbing system. With a well-designed manifold, each duct receives an...
Organization(s)
ACCA
Publication Date
Description
Standard outlining industry procedure for sizing residential duct systems.
Organization(s)
ACCA
Publication Date
Description
Standard providing guidance on how to select, size, and locate the supply air diffusers, grilles and registers, and the return grilles.
Organization(s)
ACCA
Publication Date
Description
Technical manual from ACCA outlining correct methods for zoning of residential HVAC systems.
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing best strategies to bring ductwork on single-story homes with a slab-on-grade foundation in hot, dry climates into the conditioned envelope of the home intending to highlight the pros and cons of multiple ductwork integration strategies, including traditional duct systems in...
Organization(s)
ADC
Publication Date
Description
Standard for use and reference by designers, architects, engineers, contractors, installers and users for evaluating, selecting, specifying and properly installing flexible duct in heating and air conditioning systems.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Document providing guideance and considerations for duct design in an energy efficient house.
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report describing two retrofit duct sealing techniques - manually-applied sealants and injecting a spray sealant, that were implemented in several low-rise multi-unit buildings in North Carolina.
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Brochure intended to provide readers with a working knowledge of residential heating and cooling duct systems.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Brochure with details on HVAC duct air sealing.
Organization(s)
BSC,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Brochure with information about ducts in conditioned space.
Organization(s)
CARB,
NREL,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the recommended best practices to achieve energy savings without compromising health or safety.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Document describing the Building America research benchmark for the residential building program.
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Training manual on how to locate ducts within conditioned space and compact design.
Organization(s)
CARB,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Reference investigating the strategy of using buried and/or encapsulated ducts to reduce duct thermal losses in residential buildings.
Organization(s)
NAIMA
Publication Date
Description
Manual showing duct cleaning contractors how to identify the different types of insulated air ducts, how to open each type for access by cleaning equipment and personnel, how to close and seal openings after cleaning.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing one year of monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness of a space conditioning system at maintaining temperature and relative humidity levels in a test home, as well as room-to-room differences and the actual measured energy consumption by the space conditioning system.
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Publication Date
Description
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.
Organization(s)
NAIMA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet with HVAC duct insulation, testing, maintenance and performance information.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report identifying two barriers that limit the ability of builders to explore opportunities for higher levels of energy efficiency in housing: the use of duct system materials that inherently achieve airtightness and are right-sized for low-load houses, and, the ability to air seal fire separation...
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Document comparing simulation results from a modified version of the EnergyGauge program to include various HVAC runtime strategies.
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting describing meeting details for recommendations for applying water heaters in combination space and domestic water heating systems.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting held to discuss simplified space conditioning systems in low load homes, including the relationship between advanced thermal enclosures, space conditioning systems and comfort.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting held to review and discuss results and future plans for research to improve the performance of hydronic heating systems using condensing boilers and baseboard convectors.
Organization(s)
Johns Manville
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet providing detail about hand fabrication of a one-piece straight duct from a 48" x 120" x 1" thick (1.22 m x 3.05 m x 25 mm) sheet where the total inside duct dimensions equals 112" (2.84 m) or less.
Organization(s)
ADC
Publication Date
Description
Standard providing a comprehensive approach to evaluating, selecting, specifying and installing flexible duct in HVAC systems.
Organization(s)
ADC
Publication Date
Description
Presentation about proper installation of flexible ducts.
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report providing information about energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) equipment options to help homeowners cut their energy use, reduce their carbon footprint, and increase their homes comfort, health, and safety.
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
Description
Standards criteria supporting ICC HVAC duct support standards.
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership
Publication Date
Description
Report evaluating the relative effectiveness of various control and distribution strategies to improve hydronic space heating performance in existing low-rise multifamily buildings
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Report showing installers how to attach ducts, pipes, and associated equipment to buildings to minimize earthquake damage.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Report describing as-found interior platform return plenums, the magnitude of their contribution to the total amount of duct leakage, and techniques and results of retrofits executed by the HVAC trade during equipment replacement.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report proposing mini-split heat pumps as a new retrofit option to replace resistance heating in the Pacific Northwest.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report on the long-term performance of mini-split heat pumps.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Florida Home Energy and Resources Organization,
Florida HERO,
Energy Smart Home Plans,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Description
Document presenting a cost effective method that was used by four builders in the Gainesville, FL area to construct interior ducts in over a dozen site built homes.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report identifying the target market for solar water heaters and potential pathways and cost/performance targets that must be met for these systems to realize large energy savings.
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet describing how to test the duct leakage of a manufactured home in the manufactured home factory.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Document pertaining to design and application guidance for combination space and tankless domestic hot water heating systems used in residential buildings, based on field evaluation, testing, and industry meetings.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Document intended for designers and installers of hydronic heating systems interested in maximizing the overall system efficiency of condensing boilers when coupled with baseboard convectors. It is applicable to new and retrofit projects.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Document with evaluation of 14 heat pump water heaters (including three recently released HPWH products) installed in existing homes in the northeast region of the United States.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report providing guidance on how to implement a compact duct system inside a plenum truss bulkhead of a one-story, slab-on-grade home.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report describing recommendations for optimizing flexible duct, constant-volume HVAC systems using junction boxes.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Document covering the technical aspects of buried and insulated ducts (BEDs), as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and risks of BEDs compared to alternative strategies.