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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 1851 - 1900 of 2302

Author(s)
The Getty Conservation Institute
Organization(s)
The Getty Conservation Institute
Publication Date
Description
Newsletter containing five articles focused on seismic retrofitting.
Author(s)
Arnold Chris
Organization(s)
Whole Building Design Guide,
WBDG,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
NIBS
Publication Date
Description
Article outlining the key issues related to the protection of the building envelope against seismic forces.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing guidance concerning lot selection and building siting considerations for coastal residential buildings, including factors that constrain siting decisions, coastal setback lines, common siting problems, and suggestions for builders, designers, and owners; also published in FEMA...
Author(s)
Robinson Bill
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction
Publication Date
Description
Article describing various types of caulks and sealants, their formulas and best uses.
Author(s)
Efficient Windows Collaborative
Organization(s)
National Fenestration Rating Council,
NFRC
Publication Date
Description
Step-by-step guide demonstrating replacement window selection process.
Author(s)
Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute
Organization(s)
UFEI,
California Polytechnic State University,
Cal Poly
Publication Date
Description
Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.
Author(s)
Butler T,
Curtis O,
Kim E,
Roberts S,
Stephenson R
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Southface
Publication Date
Description
Report describing construction of test homes in Atlanta, GA meeting Building America savings targets and serving as a basis of design for other homes Martin Dodson plans to build within the Serenbe community.
Author(s)
Eatherton Mark
Organization(s)
Contractor Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Second part of an article series focusing on servicing high efficiency modcon boilers. This part focuses on paperwork and follow-up communication with the homeowner for scheduling annual maintenance.
Author(s)
Eatherton Mark
Organization(s)
Contractor Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the author's experiences in owning and servicing a modcon boiler.
Author(s)
U.S. Fire Administration
Organization(s)
USFA
Publication Date
Description
Description webpage providing information about home fire safety during sever weather for consumers.
Author(s)
Lyons
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, and analysis that occurred before, during, and just after the actual retrofit of the Bay Ridge project.
Author(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Organization(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Publication Date
Description
High-density sidewall cavity insulation can be a major comfort and savings boost. It saves energy by slowing both conductive and convective losses, but only if the right things are done and done right. This always requires site-specific thinking.
Author(s)
sidingcost.org
Organization(s)
sidingcost.org
Publication Date
Description
Website providing the pros and cons of different siding materials for home building, including wood, vinyl, fiber cement, stucco, brick, metal, and stone.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing basic design and installation tips for various types of siding for high-wind regions, including vinyl, wood, and fiber cement and discusses sustainable design issues; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
A website providing information on how to properly size a water heater based on tank size, volume, peak hour demand and other factors.
Author(s)
Global Technology and Information Services
Organization(s)
SIL International
Publication Date
Description
Web page describing the basics of how to size and build a battery bank for electricity storage.
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
How hard can it be to insulate a flat sheet of concrete? I mean you only have three choices – on the top, on the bottom, or on the edge. OK, you might have some combination of the three as well.
Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E,
Childs Phillip W,
Pate Paige,
Atchley Jerald A
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Description
Paper describing the development and testing of an affordable net-zero energy house in Lenoir City, Tennessee.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
A website discussing the use of consumer-grade small electric wind systems such as turbines to lower energy costs.
Author(s)
Olsen,
Preus
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
NREL technical report providing guidance on site selection for installation of small wind turbines.
Author(s)
NREL
Organization(s)
NREL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Organization(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Publication Date
Description
Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.
Author(s)
Zhong
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing a comparison of hydrothermal performances of DryRightTM fiberglass batts and kraft-faced fiberglass batts in a south facing wall assembly with a moisture storage cladding material.
Author(s)
Burkett Helen,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
NREL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet outlining the research behind how smart ventilation controls boost energy efficiency and indoor air quality, including research findings from seasonal temperature, timer, and real-time weather-based controls showing that all three systems showed potential for energy savings while...
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Publication Date
Description
Toolkits for residents and owner/managers who live and work in federally assisted housing.
Author(s)
Wilkerson
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Publication Date
Description
Webpage providing information about design snow loads and a free interactive ground snow load mapping tool for the contiguous United States, as well as snow load calculation methods.
Author(s)
Michael O'Rourke
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Description
Guide providing detailed explanations of the snow load provisions contained in Standard ASCE/SEI 7-16: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.
Organization(s)
NRCS
Publication Date
Description
The website by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center tracks snowpack sensor stations at multiple sites across the country providing an interactive US map of snow loads.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet about soil gas control strategies for foundations.
Author(s)
Sabata,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Organization(s)
USDA
Publication Date
Description
Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.
Author(s)
Svarc
Organization(s)
Svarc
Publication Date
Description
Website article describing the way solar panels are coupled to AC and DC battery energy storage systems.
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report providing a synopsis of a project to evaluate the performance of a roof-integrated solar water heating system.
Author(s)
FSEC
Organization(s)
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Website with information for consumers about solar thermal systems for homes.
Author(s)
Sughrue
Organization(s)
Home Power
Publication Date
Description
A structural insulated panel (SIP) roof has no embedded lumber in the structure, and therefore nothing substantial for attaching PV array and solar hot water mounts. Single or double lumber splines could be put into the panels, or I-joists at 4-foot intervals could be added.
Author(s)
Solar Pathfinder
Organization(s)
Solar Pathfinder
Publication Date
Description
Tool determining the most economical and efficient photovoltaic array location and position.
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Description
Guidelines to assist builders in designing and constructing homes equipped with a set of features that make the installation of solar energy systems after the completion of the home’s construction easier and less expensive.
Author(s)
Solar Rating & Certification Corporation
Organization(s)
Solar Rating & Certification Corporation
Publication Date
Description
The Solar Rating & Certification Corporation is the leading solar heating and cooling product certification program in North America, certifying to the requirements of International and Uniform Codes and Standards
Author(s)
Lisell,
Tetreault,
Watson
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report identifying the important aspects of building design and construction to enable installation of solar photovoltaic and heating systems at some time after the building is constructed.