Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Description
Article about different types of weather resistant barrier.
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 - 49 of 49
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
Description
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.
Application of Spray Foam Insulation Under Plywood and Oriented Strand Board Roof Sheathing, BA-1312
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering moisture and leakage issues associated with spray foam insulation application to the underside of roof sheathing.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
NSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Report focused on foundation insulation R-values for cold climates and the design, construction, and performance implications.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Newport Ventures
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, utility bill data analysis, and results of on-site monitoring of a deep energy retrofit.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Research study describing a number of promising foundation and basement insulation strategies that can meet the requirement for better thermal control in colder climates while enhancing moisture control, health, and comfort.
Organization(s)
CARB,
BASF
Publication Date
Description
Reference investigating the strategy of using buried and/or encapsulated ducts to reduce duct thermal losses in residential buildings.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report describing a deep energy retrofit project for a two-family wood framed home located in Belmont, Massachusetts.
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.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report outlining the steps of translating a new home construction scope of work (SOW) to SOW for retrofit.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Research study examining efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in Florida.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report investigating performance and energy savings potential of heat pump water heaters.
Organization(s)
PARR,
CNT Energy
Publication Date
Description
Report exploring feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25% source energy savings.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing post-retrofit results for 13 existing homes in a deep energy retrofit pilot program.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Washington State University Extension Energy Program
Publication Date
Description
Research study documenting market-ready energy solutions to improve the efficiency of new affordable housing in the marine climate of Washington State.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report examining implementation of an exterior insulation and over-clad strategy for brick masonry buildings in Chicago.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report about an expert meeting focused on issues surrounding cladding attachment and performance of walls with exterior insulating sheathing.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting report describing the need for greater understanding of foundation systems including moisture and insulation issues.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report providing testing methodology to evaluate structural rim header designs over openings up to 6 ft. wide and applicable to one- and two-story homes.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report with test results that serve as a baseline of data for further material tests of other high-R wall systems and for comparison to whole-house wind pressure testing.
Organization(s)
WSU Extension Energy Programs,
PIRC
Publication Date
Description
Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report detailing the design and construction of 10 new houses under the Wyandotte Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2.
Organization(s)
BSC,
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing walls and moisture development on them.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Project discussing buried or encapsulated ducts and their pros and cons.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Document covering the technical aspects of buried and insulated ducts (BEDs), as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and risks of BEDs compared to alternative strategies.
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Description
EPA guidance document providing information on moisture control in buildings
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report about exterior sheathing insulation and inward driven moisture issues.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report describing evaluation of several configurations of wall assemblies to determine the accuracy of moisture modeling and make recommendations to ensure durable, efficient assemblies.
Organization(s)
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report providing guidance to air sealing multifamily homes.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Newport Partners
Publication Date
Description
Report studying the specification, implementation, and energy savings from an EER in a group home, with an energy savings goal of 30%.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study exploring a test method measuring air leakage between units through common surfaces and air infiltration across exterior, noncommon surfaces of the enclosure.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
NSTAR
Publication Date
Description
Research report describing study of exterior retrofit approach for air sealing, insulating, and water management conducted by the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership team run by University of Minnesota.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report researching cost- effective solution packages for significant energy efficiency and indoor air quality improvements masonry multifamily urban buildings.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report about a deep energy retrofit Cool Energy House.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering non-combustible continuous exterior insulation and non-combustible roof venting.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Report evaluating the renovation of a 5,800-ft2, multiuse facility located in St. Petersburg, on the west coast of central Florida, in the hot-humid climate.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Home Innovation,
PHI,
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Description
Report following the evolution of the construction quality process from its development for new homes to its application construction of a HPH with enhanced specifications, and its application in a crawlspace renovation.
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Document serving as a starting point that features initial tools and resources for teams to start collaborating to continually improve the energy efficiency and durability of new houses.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
TexEnergy Solutions,
Residential Energy Services Network,
RESNET
Publication Date
Description
Report providing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis inherent to different models as a way of thinking about the transition from traditional business models into a viable model for delivering deep energy retrofits.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report about seeking a 30% source energy savings targets over a comparable 2009 International Energy Conservation Code-built home in the cold climate zone, using simple measures.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report about partnership to build three communities of net zero houses.
Organization(s)
ARBI,
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Research study comparing TRNSYS Type 604 pipe model against laboratory pipe heat loss test data and detailed field monitoring data.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report detailing retrofit of two existing houses in the Wyandotte Neighborhood program.