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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 151 - 200 of 776

Author(s)
Gifford
Organization(s)
American Boiler Manufacturers Association
Publication Date
Description
Part 2 of an article discussing how to maximize two-pipe steam systems for resident space heating.
Author(s)
Baker Peter,
Eng P,
Lepage R
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report on the stability of furring strips as a means for cladding attachment over walls with thick exterior rigid insulation.
Author(s)
North American Insulation Manufacturers Association
Organization(s)
North American Insulation Manufacturers Association
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.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
IECC code note explaining new fan efficacy requirements, along with how to determine which fans are affected by the new fan requirements.
Author(s)
Kosny,
Fallahi,
Shukla
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Research study investigating the energy performance and cost effectiveness of several state-of-the-art retrofit strategies that could be used in residential houses in the Boston and New England area.
Author(s)
Goldberg,
Steigauf
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
NSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Research study describing an experimental and theoretical investigation of the energy and hygrothermal performance of retrofit foundation insulation systems in climate zones 6 and 7.
Author(s)
Colorado Geological Survey
Organization(s)
Colorado Geological Survey
Publication Date
Description
Website discussing building foundation problems caused by settling soil in Colorado.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet summarizing inspection and testing of combustion appliances taught during the 2006 Florida whole-house weatherization training as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hot Climate Initiative.
Author(s)
Building Performance Institute
Organization(s)
BPI
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet that details the steps needed to perform a combustion appliance safety inspection to determine if fossil fuel-fired appliances are operating safely under a depressurized condition.
Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Cautley D,
Bohac D,
Francisco P,
Shen L,
Gloss S
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report on a simplified test procedure for combustion safety that is easier to implement and should produce fewer false positives than the previous procedure.
Author(s)
Poerschke A,
Beach Robert
Organization(s)
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report describing how space-conditioning systems are operating in the field and if these systems are meeting required standards.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Brochure providing information about flashing.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report investigating the nature, strength, and durability of connections between high performance dwellings and developments.
Author(s)
Herk Anastasia,
Beggs Timothy
Organization(s)
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report outlining the steps developers can take to create high-performance standards on a community-wide scale.
Author(s)
Mallay
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs
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.
Author(s)
Maguire,
Fang,
Wilson
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Research report providing a comparison of the most common residential water heating technologies to determine energy-efficient and cost-effective water heating technologies are when subjected to a variety of typical operating conditions.
Author(s)
Cunningham Kerrie,
Hannigan Eileen
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Publication Date
Description
Research study comparing various retrofit models in Wisconsin to evaluate performance in terms of savings per home and program cost per home to assess the relative cost effectiveness of each program design.
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.
Author(s)
Portland Cement Association
Organization(s)
Portland Cement Association
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet discussing the properties and benefits of insulating concrete forms.
Author(s)
Wilson
Organization(s)
National Research Council Canada
Publication Date
Description
Document about condensation between the panes, on the inside surface of the outer glass of double pane windows.
Author(s)
Maguire Jeff,
Earle Lieko,
Booten Chuck,
Hancock C E
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Publication Date
Description
Report about a hybrid condensing water heater (thermal efficiency = 0.973, energy factor = 0.95) installed in an occupied home in Sacramento, California, and monitored for one year to determine the actual in situ efficiency.
Author(s)
Kochkin,
Wiehagen
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Description
The Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel sheathing (WSP) as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low...
Author(s)
Kochkin,
Wiehagen
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Description
Part I of the Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x6 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as exterior sheathing, gypsum board as interior sheathing, and a cladding system installed over WSP sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories in height. Walls with...
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Organization(s)
HUD
Publication Date
Description
Brochure helping homeowners identify hazards, work with contractors to remove the hazards, help ensure the work is done properly, and educate when they can return safely to the home.
Author(s)
Straube
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing research encouraging use of exterior insulation to warm interior sheathing surfaces in walls and roof assemblies to reduce the likelihood of condensation during cold weather
Author(s)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Organization(s)
ASME
Publication Date
Description
Standard covering requirements for the assembly, installation, maintenance, and operation of controls and safety devices on automatically operated boilers directly fired with gas, oil, gas-oil, or electricity, having fuel input ratings under 12,500,000 Btu/hr. This version of the code was published...
Author(s)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Organization(s)
ASME
Publication Date
Description
Standard covering requirements for the assembly, installation, maintenance, and operation of controls and safety devices on automatically operated boilers directly fired with gas, oil, gas-oil, or electricity, having fuel input ratings under 12,500,000 Btu/hr. This version of the code was published...
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.
Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R,
Kono Jamie E
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
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.
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Vijayakumar Gayathri
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the monitored long-term performance of two solar domestic water heating systems in northern climates.
Author(s)
Southface Energy Institute,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Organization(s)
Southface,
ORNL
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet about crawlspace insulation, including installation details.
Author(s)
Carpet and Rug Institute
Organization(s)
CRI
Publication Date
Description
Webpage containing downloadable fact sheets covering carpet-related topics including Indoor Air Quality, Asthma and Allergy, Cleaning Products, and Environmental Sustainability.
Author(s)
Canadian Standards Association International,
CSA Group
Organization(s)
CSA International,
CSA Group
Publication Date
Description
Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2001 and revised in...
Author(s)
CSA Group
Organization(s)
CSA Group
Publication Date
Description
Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2017 and revised in...
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing strategies for reducing the risk of ice dam formation on roofs in winter.
Author(s)
Cort Katherine A,
Culp Thomas D
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Birch Point Consulting,
BPC
Publication Date
Description
Research study evaluating energy savings and cost effectiveness of installing low-emissivity (low-e) storm windows over existing windows in residential homes in all climate zones.
Author(s)
Baker M C
Organization(s)
National Research Council Canada,
NRC
Publication Date
Description
Article discussing the causes of wood decay and moisture issues.
Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Design and Construction Process chapter provides detailed guidance for each process phase: pre-planning, planning, construction, test-out and post-occupancy.
Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Lessons Learned chapter focuses on successful deep energy retrofit projects throughout the U.S.
Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Occupant Behavior chapter discusses how to assess homeowner behavior patterns and use these patterns to enhance overall energy savings.
Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Over Time, Phased Guidance chapter presents a phased approach to deep energy retrofits.