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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 59

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Measure Packages

Author(s)
Baker J,
Yee S,
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages, BA-1205

Author(s)
Neuhauser
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
BSC
Publication Date
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Chicagoland Single-Family Housing Characterization

Author(s)
Spanier J,
Scheu R,
Brand Larry,
Yang J
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Report identifying housing characteristics and energy use for fifteen single-family housing types and specifies measure packages that provide an optimum level of energy savings based on a BEopt analysis.

Cold Climate Building Enclosure Solutions

Author(s)
Kosny,
Fallahi,
Shukla
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
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.

Cold Climate Foundation Retrofit Energy Savings: The Simulated Energy and Experimental Hygrothermal Performance of Cold Climate Foundation Wall Insulation Retrofit Measures -- Phase I, Energy Simulation

Author(s)
Goldberg,
Steigauf
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
NSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
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.

Collapsible Soils

Author(s)
Colorado Geological Survey
Organization(s)
Colorado Geological Survey
Publication Date
Website discussing building foundation problems caused by settling soil in Colorado.

Comparison of Home Retrofit Programs in Wisconsin

Author(s)
Cunningham Kerrie,
Hannigan Eileen
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Publication Date
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.

Cost, Design, and Performance of Solar Hot Water in Cold-Climate Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Vijayakumar Gayathri
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report describing the monitored long-term performance of two solar domestic water heating systems in northern climates.

De-Icing Ice Dams, BSI-097

Author(s)
Joseph Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Article describing the importance of air sealing, insulation, and roof ventilation in reducing the likelihood of ice dam formation on roofs in cold snowy climates.

Energy Savings From System Efficiency Improvements in Iowa's HVAC SAVE Program

Author(s)
Yee S,
Baker J,
Brand Larry,
Wells J
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
Report using pre- and post-system upgrade data to analyze the energy savings associated with Iowa's HVAC SAVE program for space heating.

Evaluation of Northern Illinois Residential Retrofit Delivery Practices

Author(s)
Rowley P,
Kerr R,
Brand Larry
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
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.

Expert Meeting Report: Achieving the Best Installed Performance from High-Efficiency Residential Gas Furnaces

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Expert meeting identifying installation practices that provide the best installed efficiency for residential gas furnaces, explain how AFUE and field efficiency can differ, and investigate the impact of installation practices on the efficiency and long-term durability of the furnace.

External Insulation of Masonry Walls and Wood Framed Walls

Author(s)
Baker Peter
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study developing baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2 in. to 8 in.) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls.

Field Energy Performance of an Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Wall

Author(s)
Maref Wahid,
Armstrong Marianne Margaret,
Saber Hamed,
Rousseau M,
Ganapathy G,
Nicholis M,
Swinton Michael C
Organization(s)
National Research Council Canada,
NRC
Publication Date
Research study evaluating the dynamic heat transmission characteristics through two identical Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall assemblies in Ottawa, Canada.

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 .

Fixing Air Leakage in Connecticut Town Houses

Author(s)
Moriarta
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Publication Date
Journal article describing energy and cost savings potential from air sealing multifamily town homes.

High-R Walls for Remodeling: Wall Cavity Moisture Monitoring

Author(s)
Wiehagen,
Kochkin
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Research study presenting results of an existing home monitoring project designed to measure wall cavity moisture characteristics.

Home Energy Guide - Techniques, Tactics, & Tips: Ice Dams

Author(s)
Minnesota Department of Commerce Energy Information Center
Organization(s)
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Publication Date
Article describing the causes that form ice dams, as well as solutions for preventing future ice dams on roofs, focusing on air sealing to prevent hot air leakage.

How to Prevent Roof Damage from Winter Ice Buildup

Author(s)
Dorsi Chris
Organization(s)
Montana State University Extension,
MSU Extension
Publication Date
Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

Keeping The Heat In - Chapter 6: Basement insulation

Author(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Organization(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Publication Date
Information sheet providing links and resources for insulating basements in cold climates.

Measure Guideline: High Efficiency Natural Gas Furnaces

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Rose W
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Document covering installation of high efficiency gas furnaces, including when to install a high efficiency gas furnace as a retrofit measure, how to identify and address risks, and steps to follow for the selection and installation process.

Measure Guideline: Ventilation Cooling

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
German Alea
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Guideline that provides information on properly applying, designing, and installing mechanical ventilation cooling systems for homes located in located in hot-dry and cold-dry climates, as well as a means of understanding the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of these systems.

Multifamily Ventilation Retrofit Strategies

Author(s)
Ueno Kohta,
Lstiburek Joseph,
Bergey Daniel
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study examining the performance of existing multifamily ventilation central systems and explored alternative solutions in retrofit situations.

Prevent Home Roof Damage from Heavy Snow and Ice.

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.

Preventing Ice Dams

Author(s)
Paul Fisette
Organization(s)
UMass Amherst Department of Environmental Conservation
Publication Date
Article describing how ice dams form on residential roofs, how they damage homes, and solutions to prevent future dams.

Preventing Ice Dams Fact Sheet

Author(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Organization(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Publication Date
Ice dam fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.

Protect Your Home from Ice Dams

Author(s)
IBHS DisasterSafety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.

Proven Performance of Seven Cold Climate Deep Retrofit Homes

Author(s)
Osser,
Neuhauser,
Ueno
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report about seven pilot homes and development of guidelines for deep energy retrofits in cold climates.

Reduce Ice Dam and Icicle Damage

Author(s)
Kenneth Hellevang
Organization(s)
NDSU
Publication Date
Webpage explaining how to mitigate heat loss through roofs for ice dam prevention.

Report: 56th & Walnut - A Philly Gut Rehab Development

Author(s)
Puttagunta,
Faakye,
Zoeller
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report researching cost- effective solution packages for significant energy efficiency and indoor air quality improvements masonry multifamily urban buildings.

Results From Development of Model Specifications for Multifamily Energy Retrofits

Author(s)
Brozyna Kevin
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report describing how modification of model specifications to include guidance on energy efficiency measures can create a greater level of consistency in executing energy efficiency retrofit measures across the multiple regions where a developer may work.