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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 - 15 of 15

Analyzing Design Heating Loads in Superinsulated Buildings

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report analyzing design heating load sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates and comparing them to the actual energy usage to determine if the building load calculation methodology should be changed for calculating the design heating load of these homes.

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates

Author(s)
Building Industry Research Alliance,
Building Science Consortium,
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
Davis Energy Group,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
IBACOS,
National Association of Home Builders Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
BIRA,
BSC,
CARB,
DEG,
FSEC,
NAHBRC,
NREL
Publication Date
Report summarizing research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Hot-Dry / Mixed-Dry Climate Region on a cost-neutral basis.

Designing Forced-Air HVAC Systems

Author(s)
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Document providing design guidance and software tool information for forced-air HVAC systems.

Field Performance of Heat Pump Water Heaters in the Northeast

Author(s)
Shapiro Carl,
Puttagunta Srikanth
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Research study evaluating 14 heat pump water heaters, attempting to provide publically available field data on new HPWHs by monitoring the performance of three recently released products .

Fort Devens: Cold Climate, Energy-Efficient, Market-Rate Townhomes

Author(s)
Zoeller,
Slattery,
Grab
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

Measure Guideline: Condensing Boilers - Optimizing Efficiency and Response Time During Setback Operation

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report providing step-by-step instructions for heating contractors and hydronic designers for selecting the proper control settings to maximize system performance and improve response time when using a thermostat setback.

Optimizing Hydronic System Performance in Residential Applications

Author(s)
Arena Lois,
Faakye Omari
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study using modeling to determine optimal combination(s) of components/pumps, high efficiency heat sources, plumbing configurations and controls that result in the highest overall efficiency for a hydronic system.

Systems Evaluation at the Cool Energy House

Author(s)
Williamson,
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report providing performance results of a home's heat pump water heater and whole-house dehumidifier over a six-month period.

Ventilating Your Home

Author(s)
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Information sheet about proper ventilation and air sealing.

Whole House Mechanical Ventilation: A South Chicago Case Study

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report summarizing results from a case study about whole-house mechanical ventilation systems in Chicago.