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Library

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 164

2018 International Mechanical Code - IMC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing minimum regulations for mechanical systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, ducts, fireplaces, combustion and hydronic systems, using prescriptive and performance-related provisions.

2023 ASHRAE Handbook - HVAC Applications

Author(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Organization(s)
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Guidebook covering basic principles and data used in the HVAC&R industry. This is the 2023 edition of the handbook, which can be purchased physically or digitally at the reference link in versions using either I-P units of measurement or SI units of measurement.

4 Products for Enhancing Air Flow in Dryer Vents

Author(s)
Bailes Allison
Organization(s)
Energy Vanguard
Publication Date
Article describing products that can enhance the efficiency and safety of clothes dryer vents.

A Crash Course in Roof Venting, PA-1101

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Article describing methods for venting a vented attic and a roof assembly over an unvented attic.

A Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution systems with Fan Coil Delivery

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
Backman Christine
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

A Field Study of Ventilation System Effectiveness in Low Air Leakage Residences

Author(s)
Hales David,
Eklund Ken,
Kunkle Rick,
Lubliner Michael,
Banks Adria
Organization(s)
Washington State University Extension Energy Program,
WSU Extension Energy Program,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA
Publication Date
Report describing the results of a field study of five different ventilation system types in 29 homes in the Pacific Northwest.

A New Approach to Ventilation of High Rise Apartments

Author(s)
Handegord Gustav O
Organization(s)
Ontario Building Envelope Council
Publication Date
Paper discussing innovative strategies for improving ventilation systems in high-rise apartment buildings, focusing on compartmentalization and controlling stack effect pressures to enhance indoor air quality and energy efficiency published in the Proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Building...

A Simplified Model for Estimating Population-Scale Energy Impacts of Building Envelope Air-Tightening and Mechanical Ventilation Retrofits

Author(s)
Logue Jennifer M,
Turner William JN,
Walker Iain S,
Singer Brett C
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Report describing how changing the air exchange rate of a home (the sum of the infiltration and mechanical ventilation airflow rates) affects the annual thermal conditioning energy.

About Attic Ventilation

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.

ACCA Manual RS - Comfort, Air Quality, and Efficiency by Design

Author(s)
Air Conditioning Contractors of America
Organization(s)
ACCA
Publication Date
The manual covers residential zoning issues - multiple, single-zone, and central multi-zone systems - and includes advice on working with homeowners to adapt the heating or cooling system design to meet modern home design features.

AHAM - Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

Author(s)
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Organization(s)
AHAM
Publication Date
Website providing research, efficiency and safety standards development, and advocacy to the home appliance industry to bring efficient, high-performing home appliances to consumers.

AHAM Verifide Facts about Clean Air

Author(s)
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Organization(s)
AHAM
Publication Date
Website reporting efficiencies for dehumidifiers, room air conditioners, and room air cleaners that are tested by independent laboratories and reported by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Assessment of Literature Related to Combustion Appliance Venting Systems

Author(s)
Less Brennan,
Wray Craig P,
Stratton Chris J,
Singer Brett C,
Rapp Vi H
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
The exhaust from residential combustion appliances contains air pollutants and high levels of moisture that must be conveyed to the outdoors to maintain acceptable indoor quality.

Assessment of Suite Compartmentalization and Depressurization in New High-Rise Residential Buildings: Final Report

Author(s)
Cooke George
Organization(s)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
Tridel Group of Companies
Publication Date
Technical report describing the evaluation of air management systems in a high-rise apartment building in Toronto, Ontario, focusing on air leakage, suite depressurization, and the performance of in-suite exhaust and corridor ventilation systems.

Attic Ventilation

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Web page describing the benefits of attic fans, with rules for sizing fans and intake vents.

Attic Venting, Attic Moisture, and Ice Dams

Author(s)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Organization(s)
CMHC,
Government of Canada
Publication Date
Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.

Avoiding Moisture Problems

Author(s)
Van der Meer Bill
Organization(s)
National Association for State Community Services Programs,
NASCSP,
Weatherization Training Center at Penn College,
Pennsylvania College of Technology,
PCT
Publication Date
Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.

Building America Expert Meeting: Combustion Safety

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting focusing on identifying gaps and barriers in combustion safety that need to be addressed by future research, and to develop data-driven technical recommendations for code updates so that a common approach for combustion safety can be adopted by all members of the building energy...

Ceiling Fan Basics

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
ENRGY STAR webpage discussing the basics of certified ceiling fans.

Ceilings and Attics

Author(s)
Southface Energy Institute,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Organization(s)
ORNL,
SEI
Publication Date
Information sheet with information about insulating and ventilating attics.

Combustion Safety Simplified Test Protocol Field Study

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Shen L,
Gloss S,
Bohac Dave,
Francisco Paul W.,
Cautley Dan
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
NothernSTAR,
NSTAR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report on a simplified test procedure for combustion safety that is easier to implement and should produce fewer false positives than the previous procedure.

Conway Street Apartments: A Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB
Publication Date
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.

Cool Solutions: The Whole House Fan

Author(s)
Mott-Smith John
Organization(s)
City of Davis,
State of California
Publication Date
Article describing the use of whole-house fans to provide cooling in the region surrounding Sacramento, CA.

Cooling with Ventilation

Author(s)
Chandra Subrato,
Houston Michael M,
Fairey Philip W
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report providing recommendations to builders regarding how to reduce cooling loads, use air-circulation fans, natural ventilation, window and building design for natural ventilation, and whole-house fans.

Cooling Your Home Naturally

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Publication Date
Short report providing tips on how to reduce heat gain and passively cool a home.

Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings, ANSI/ASHRAE 160-2021

Author(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
American National Standards Institute
Organization(s)
ASHRAE,
ANSI
Publication Date
Standard providing guidance on predicting, mitigating, or reducing moisture damage to the building envelope, materials, components, systems, and furnishings, depending on climate, construction type, and HVAC system operation; webstore also has versions of the standard published in the years 2016 and...

Designing Houses That Keep Their Cool

Author(s)
Wilson Alex
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Article from Green Building Advisor on strategies to take when building homes to reduce the need for air conditioning, including insulation, windows, site selection, and roofing.

ECM Motors: An Energy Saving Opportunity

Author(s)
Office of Research Facilities
Organization(s)
ORF
Publication Date
Bulletin describing the components of ECM motors and comparing their efficiency with PSC motors.

Energy and IAQ Implications of Residential Ventilation Cooling

Author(s)
Walker Iain S,
Turner William JN
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
This study evaluates the energy, humidity and indoor air quality implications of residential ventilation cooling in all US IECC climate zones.

Energy Savings Potential of Radiative Cooling Technologies

Author(s)
Fernandez Nick,
Wang Weimin,
Alvine Kyle J,
Katipamula Srinivas
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Technical report evaluating the energy savings potential of radiative cooling technologies, particularly photonic 'selective emittance' materials.

ENERGY STAR Certified Ventilating Fans

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Factsheet describing the benefits of purchasing and installing ENERGY STAR rated fans and ventilation products.

Evaluating Moisture Control of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps in Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes in Climate Zone 2A

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Chasar Dave,
Beal David,
Withers Charles R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
This report evaluates the performance of variable-capacity comfort systems, with a focus on inverter-driven, variable-capacity systems, as well as proposed system enhancements.

Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing the evaluation and selection of ventilation systems for homes retrofitted for energy aesthetic and health/safety improvements in Las Vegas.

Evaluation of Northern Illinois Residential Retrofit Delivery Practices

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Kerr Ryan,
Rowley Patricia
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA,
CNT Energy,
Elevate Energy,
Future Energy Enterprises,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document reviewing four cold-climate northern Illinois energy efficiency retrofit programs to identify practices, tools, and approaches to streamline and reduce costs of comprehensive retrofits, and to improve the consistency of audit and retrofit delivery practices across different programs.

Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
CARB,
DOE
Publication Date
Case study on exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air intake strategies implemented in high-performance new-construction multifamily buildings.

Evaluation of Retrofit Variable-Speed Furnace Fan Motors

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.