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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 51 - 100 of 107

Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Report about opportunities for ventilation when traditional methods are limited by weather conditions or by contaminants in the outdoor air.

Home Cooling Systems

Author(s)
Energy Saver
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Website providing information on low-energy and standard cooling systems, with a focus on saving energy.

Home Ventilating Institute

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website providing certified rating programs to help manufacturers, builders, contractors and homeowners compare performance of ventilation products for air flow, sound, and other performance characteristics.

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

HVI Airflow Test Procedure

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

Indirect / Passive Air-Flow Systems

Author(s)
Kang,
Lutz-Carillo
Organization(s)
UT Austin School of Architecture
Publication Date
Report detailing natural ventilation and passive airflow systems.

Indoor Air Pollution from Cooking

Author(s)
California Air Resources Board
Organization(s)
CARB,
California Environmental Protection Agency,
CalEPA
Publication Date
Article describing ways home owners can improve ventilation in their kitchens.

Indoor Air Quality in 24 California Residences Designed as High-Performance Homes

Author(s)
Less,
Mullen,
Singer,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This research study used pollutant measurements, home inspections, diagnostic testing and occupant surveys to assess IAQ in 24 new or deeply retrofitted homes designed to be high performance green buildings in California.

Inspecting the Dryer Exhaust

Author(s)
Nich,
Gromicko
Organization(s)
International Association of Certified Home Inspectors
Publication Date
Article describing the correct installation of clothes dryer exhaust ducts.

Integrated Ventilation System Increases Energy Efficiency and Ease of Installations

Author(s)
NREL
Organization(s)
NREL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing the newly developed Ventilation-Integrated Comfort System (VICS) that reduces space requirements and eliminates costly ductwork for separate heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, all while enhancing performance, addressing the demand for energy-efficient homes, and...

Inward Drive – Outward Drying, BSI-061

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering reservoir claddings, back ventilation and vapor throttles.

IRC FAQ: Conditioned Attics, GM-0905

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Report discussing how to create livable space in the attic that meets IRC code requirements by either creating a ventilated roof assembly, or and unvented attic assembly.

Natural Ventilation

Author(s)
Energy Saver
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
DOE Energy Saver webpage providing a brief summary of natural ventilation for houses.

Passive Cooling

Author(s)
Cook Jeffrey,
Martin Marlo,
Chandra Subrato,
Yellott John,
Labs Kenneth,
Clark Gene
Organization(s)
MIT Press,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
MIT
Publication Date
Book describing passive cooling techniques from a technical and academic perspective.

Passive Solar Design

Author(s)
Williams College
Organization(s)
Williams College
Publication Date
Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

Plant for the Sun!

Author(s)
Forestry and Natural Resources
Organization(s)
Purdue University
Publication Date
Blog article describing considerations for how to use trees for shading to reduce cooling energy demand.

Reexamining Roof Ventilation

Author(s)
Tony Woods
Organization(s)
Home Energy
Publication Date
Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Research and Development of a Ventilation-Integrated Comfort System

Author(s)
Puttagunta Srikanth,
Aldrich Robb,
Cleary Barnett
Organization(s)
Steven Winter Associates,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Technical report describing the research and development of the Ventilation-Integrated Comfort System (VICS) which is a specifically designed, energy-efficient solution that seamlessly integrates with low-capacity, ducted heating, and cooling systems, offering controllable, balanced energy recovery...

Residential Energy Dynamics

Author(s)
Residential Energy Dynamics
Organization(s)
Residential Energy Dynamics
Publication Date
A free tool used to calculate the required minimum flow rate of dwelling-unit ventilation.

Roof Venting in a Wet Climate

Author(s)
Paul Fissette
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction
Publication Date
Q&A article discussing how to address moisture issues in an attic in a wet and humid coastal climate.

Smart Control Logic for Mechanical Ventilation in Humid Environments

Author(s)
NREL
Organization(s)
NREL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing field validations of a smart ventilation system to assess its effectiveness in assisting low-load homes in humid environments by maintaining acceptable indoor humidity conditions while ensuring adequate ventilation and indoor air quality.

Smart Guide Passive Cooling

Author(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Organization(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Publication Date
Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.

Sustainable Development Guidelines

Author(s)
Gray
Organization(s)
Town of Clarkdale
Publication Date
Presentation on sustainable development including water conservation, passive solar, daylighting, natural ventilation, and land use.

Sustainable Living Series

Author(s)
Office of Sustainability
Organization(s)
Washington University St. Louis
Publication Date
Presentation by the Washington University Office of Sustainability on saving energy.

Team Negawatt

Author(s)
Duarte Carlos,
Gandhi Priya,
Kim Antony,
Landsman Jared,
Santos Luis,
Tepfer Sara,
Wang Taoning
Organization(s)
Center for the Built Environment,
CBE,
University of California Berkeley,
UC Berkeley
Publication Date
Presentation on urban land use and sustainable building design.

The Impacts of Cooking and an Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Colorado Passive and Tightly Constructed Homes

Author(s)
Militello-Hourigan,
Ryan Edward,
Shelly L Miller
Organization(s)
University of Colorado-Boulder
Publication Date
Article describing a field study that test ventilation performance in nine homes and found current ventilation was inadequate to remove PM2.5 and CO2 levels; however, a directly exhausting range hood can reduce peak PM2.5 concentrations by 75% or more.

The Performance Check Between Whole Building Thermal Performance Criteria and Exterior Wall Measured Clear Wall R-Value, Thermal Bridging, thermal mass and airtightness

Author(s)
Kosny Jan,
Christian Jeffrey E,
Desjarlais Andre O,
Kossecka Elisabeth,
Berrenberg Lance
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Polish Academy of Sciences,
PAN,
American Polysteel Forms
Publication Date
Paper that illustrates a performance check between the thermal performance of a Massive Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall system mocked up and Whole Building Performance criteria such as total space heating and cooling loads (thermal comfort).

Understanding Attic Ventilation, BSD-102

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
BSD-102 report providing guidance about whether to construct a vented or unvented attic based on hygro-thermal zone.

Vented and Sealed Attics in Hot Climates

Author(s)
Rudd Armin,
Lstiburek Joseph
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Building science report describing issues with vented attics in hot-humid climates and how sealed attic construction may be a solution.

Vented Eve or Soffit Baffles

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
NREL webpage with information to keep attic ventilation up to code and protected from wind washing.

Ventilating Cathedral Ceilings to Prevent Problematic Icings at their Eaves

Author(s)
Tobiasson Wayne N,
Tantillo Thomas,
Buska James S
Organization(s)
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory,
CRREL
Publication Date
Report describing the formation of icicles and ice dams along poorly ventilated roofs and how to mitigate ventilation issues with insulation and vents.