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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 - 34 of 34

Air-Source Heat Pump Sizing and Selection Guide

Author(s)
Strack Terry,
Sager Jeremy
Organization(s)
Strack & Associates,
Natural Resources Canada,
NRCan,
CanmetENERGY
Publication Date
Document providing step-by-step guidance to sizing air-source heat pumps for a cold climate.

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.

Cooling and Heating Season Impacts of Right-Sizing of Fixed- and Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps With Attic and Indoor Ductwork

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
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction of a SEER 21 Heat Pump vs. a SEER 13 Heat Pump with Attic and Indoor Duct Systems

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.

Field Monitoring Protocol: Mini-Split Heat Pumps

Author(s)
Christensen Dane,
Fang X,
Tomerlin Jeff,
Winkler Jon,
Hancock Ed
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Publication Date
Information sheet with an analysis of mini split heat pump 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 .

Foundation Heat Exchanger Model and Design Tool Development and Validation

Author(s)
Spitler Jeffrey D,
Fisher Daniel E,
Cullin James R,
Xing Lu,
Lee Edwin,
Rees S J,
Fan D
Organization(s)
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
De Montfort University,
DMU,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Report describing a project aimed at developing validated models and design tools for foundation heat exchangers.

Heat & Cool Efficiently

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
A ENERGY STAR guide on efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems in residential homes.

Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling

Author(s)
Town of Concord Massachusetts
Organization(s)
Town of Concord Massachusetts
Publication Date
Webpage providing basic information on various types of heat pumps and their applications in Massachusetts.

HVAC – Cold Climate Heat Pump Sizing

Author(s)
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Training module for HVAC technicians on how to size cold climate heat pumps.

Improved Modeling of Residential Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps for Energy Calculations

Author(s)
Cutler Dylan,
Winkler Jon,
Kruis Neal,
Christensen Craig,
Brandemuehl Michael J
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Colorado,
CU
Publication Date
Report presenting improved air conditioner (AC) and heat pump (HP) modeling methods in the context of whole-building simulation tools.

Improvements in Fan Motor Efficiency Could Yield Big Savings

Author(s)
Holliday,
Martin
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Article in Energy Design Update describing the cost and savings benefits of electronically commutated motors (ECMs) for HVAC equipment.

NEEP’s Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump List

Author(s)
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
Organization(s)
NEEP
Publication Date
Database compiling extended capacity data for numerous cold climate heat pump manufacturers and models.

Refrigerant Leak Prevention: Best Practices – Tech Tip

Author(s)
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Organization(s)
NYSERDA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing best practices in installing leak-free refrigerant systems, including specifics on creating flare joints and brazed joints, pressure testing, vacuum testing, and charging the system with refrigerant.

Retrofitting Forced Air Combi Systems: A Cold Climate Field Assessment

Author(s)
Schoenbauer B,
Bohac D,
McAlpine J,
Hewett M
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
This project analyzed combined condensing water heaters or boilers and hydronic air coils to provide high efficiency domestic hot water (DHW) and forced air space heating. Called "combi" systems, they provided similar space and water heating performance less expensively than installing two...

Review of Residential Comfort Control Products and Opportunities

Author(s)
Metzger Cheryn E,
Goyal Siddharth,
Baechler Michael C
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
This research paper outlines residential HVAC advanced controls and sensors. It includes a technology review, applications, maintenance and commissioning, occupant behavior and a summary of the state-of-the-art technologies for advanced controls for residential HVAC.

Strategies for Energy Efficient Remodeling: SEER 2003 Case Study Report

Author(s)
Drumheller,
Wiehagen
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report providing information based on research and case studies, to remodelers and consumers about opportunities to increase home energy performance.

Strategy Guideline: HVAC Equipment Sizing

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report describing the equipment selection of a split system air conditioner and furnace for an example house in Chicago, Illinois, as well as a heat pump system for an example house in Orlando, Florida.

Supplemental Humidity Control, Info-620

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet offering general recommendations on supplemental humidity control and outlines viable system configurations.

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.

Technical Highlight: NREL Delivers In-Home HVAC Efficiency Testing Solutions

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Document on the development of two simple in-home efficiency test methods that can be used by technicians, researchers, or interested homeowners to verify the correct operation and energy efficiency of a homes air conditioning and heating equipment.

Who's Leading: The Dance Between Mini-Splits and Existing HVAC Systems

Author(s)
Metzger
Publication Date
Conference paper presented at the 2020 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings presenting the results of an evaluation of control strategies used when new mini-splits are installed in a home with an existing HVAC system.