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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 201 - 249 of 249

Short-Term Test Results: Multifamily Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit

Author(s)
Lyons
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, and analysis that occurred before, during, and just after the actual retrofit of the Bay Ridge project.

Small House with Construction Cost of $100K, Total Energy Cost of $0.88 a Day

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
Paper describing the development and testing of an affordable net-zero energy house in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Smart Ventilation Controls Boost Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality

Author(s)
Burkett Helen,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
NREL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
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...

Sonoma House: Monitoring of the First U.S. Passive House Retrofit

Author(s)
German Alea,
Weitzel B,
Backman Christine,
Hoeschele Marc,
Dakin Bill
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study presenting a unique opportunity to both identify and evaluate deep retrofit measures that are practical and potentially cost effective for the retrofit market, as well as review the cost effectiveness of the Passive House design approach for achieving energy savings in deep retrofits.

Strategy Guideline: Application of a Construction Quality Process to Existing Home Retrofits

Author(s)
Mallay David,
Del Bianco Marie
Organization(s)
Partnership for Home Innovation,
PHI,
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
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.

Strategy Guideline: Demonstration Home

Author(s)
Savage,
Hunt
Organization(s)
BARA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Building Media
Publication Date
Report intending to provide useful information as the DOE/BA develops and implements comprehensive communications and outreach strategies for demonstration homes.

Strategy Guideline: Mitigation of Retrofit Risk Factors

Author(s)
Berman Mark,
Smith Pepper,
Porse Erik
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Document targeting retrofit program managers, retrofit contractors, policy makers, academic researchers, and non-governmental organizations that work to realize energy savings from home energy upgrades (HEUs).

Strategy Guideline: Partnering for High Performance Homes

Author(s)
Prahl
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
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.

Subterranean Termites – Their Prevention and Control in Buildings

Author(s)
Peterson Chris,
Wagner Terence L,
Mulrooney Joseph E,
Shelton Thomas G
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Agriculture,
USDA,
USDA Forest Service
Publication Date
A report describing methods for constructing homes and treating soils to reduce the risk of termites in buildings.

Super Energy Efficient Design (S.E.E.D.) Home Evaluation

Author(s)
German Alea,
Dakin Bill,
Backman Christine,
Weitzel Elizabeth,
Springer David
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study determining how well high performance envelope and innovative cooling system interact to cost effectively reduce cooling energy use in this hot-dry climate.

Survey of Whole House Programs in Midwestern Climates

Author(s)
McGeough U,
Baker W,
Peters J,
Beitel A
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study making several recommendations to whole-home program designers and implementers for improving the cost effectiveness and reach of whole-home programs.

TaC Studios New Construction Test House

Author(s)
Butler T,
Curtis O,
Kim E,
Roberts S,
Stephenson R
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
Southface
Publication Date
Report evaluating a test home built in Atlanta, GA in the mixed-humid climate zone. The report outlines the features of the house, discusses the implementation of the energy efficient design, and presents the results of short-term characterization testing.

The Growing Threat of Urban Flooding: A National Challenge 2018

Author(s)
Texas A&M University
Organization(s)
Texas A&M University,
University of Maryland
Publication Date
Article from Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland analyzing why and how urban flooding happens and what can be done to mitigate damage.

The Next Step Toward Widespread Residential Deep Energy Retrofits

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Saunders S,
Bordelon E,
Baden S,
Elam L,
Martin Eric
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
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.

The Performance House - A Cold Climate Challenge Home

Author(s)
Puttagunta,
Grab,
Williamson
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
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.

The reHABITAT Guide: For Energy- and Resource-Efficient Retrofit Strategies

Author(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings
Organization(s)
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report developed for Habitat for Humanity about lessons learned from demonstration retrofit projects undertaken by Habitat for Humanity affiliates in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; with building systems consulting and technical assistance provided by Steven Winter Associates.

The Role of Appraisals in Energy Efficiency Financing

Author(s)
Doyle
Organization(s)
BIRA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Research study identifying barriers, industry status, critical obstacles to documenting added value from energy efficiency improvements, current opportunities to support reporting about energy efficiency, and next steps toward enabling energy efficiency financing market transformation.

The State of the Nation's Housing 2010

Author(s)
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Organization(s)
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Publication Date
Even as the worst housing market correction in more than 60 years appeared to turn a corner in 2009, the fallout from sharply lower home prices and high unemployment continued.

Toward Simple, Affordable Zero Energy Houses

Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E,
Beal David,
Kerrigan Philip
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Paper describing testing for the first of a series of six near net-zero-energy test houses, using the results to work towards the construction of a true net-zero-energy house.

Towards Sustainability - Green Building, Sustainability Objectives, and Building America Whole House Systems Research, BA-0801

Author(s)
Lukachko Alex,
Lstiburek Joseph
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent...

Ultra-Low Energy Residences

Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Case study about affordable housing in a mixed, humid climate.

Ventilation System Effectiveness and Tested Indoor Air Quality Impacts

Author(s)
Rudd,
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
This report describes how twenty homes were tested and monitored in the Zone 2 climate of Houston, Texas, U.S.A., to evaluate the humidity control performance and operating cost of six different integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems that could be applied by production homebuilders.

WaterSense Labeled Homes Program Home Certification Organization: Home Innovation Research Labs Water Rating Index

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing the home certification organization, Home Innovation Research Labs and their requirements for whole house water management in a checklist format as well their compliance with certified Water Rating Index (WRI), organization scope, and information verifiers.

WaterSense Labeled Homes Program-Home Certification Organization: RESNET

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing the home certification organization, RESNET and its requirements for whole house water management in a checklist format as well as the scope, information verifiers, and partners of the program.

WaterSense Labeled Homes Program: Ensuring Homes Deliver on Efficiency

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing how the Environmental Protection Agency ensures labeled homes meet the WaterSense efficiency requirements for whole house water management including a list of requirements and a data chart.

WaterSense Labeled Homes Technical Sheet: Hot Water Delivery

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
WaterSense
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing four different efficient hot water delivery (HWD) systems, the trunk-and branch, core, whole-house manifold, and recirculation, with emphasis on system schematics, piping materials, and regulations to design and verify the systems ensuring that they meet the quality and water...

Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide

Author(s)
Restaino Christina,
Kocher Susan,
Shaw Nicole,
Hawks Steven,
Murphy Carlie,
Quarles Stephen L
Organization(s)
University of Nevada Reno Extension,
University of California Cooperative Extension,
Tahoe Resource Conservation District,
Cal Fire
Publication Date
Guide from University of Nevada, Reno Extension providing specific recommendations for how to retrofit existing homes for wildfire resilience.

Wildfire-Resistant Buildings

Author(s)
Journal of Light Construction
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction
Publication Date
Article describing ways to design and construct a building to resist wildfires.

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Products

Author(s)
CAL FIRE Fire Engineering Division
Organization(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,
Cal Fire,
CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal,
CAL FIRE - OSFM
Publication Date
A list of exterior building products and materials approved for use in wildland urban interface zoned homes. These products are non-combustible or ignition-resistant.

Winter Storm Safety

Author(s)
American Red Cross
Organization(s)
Red Cross
Publication Date
Webpage from American Red Cross describing how to stay safe and prepare homes for severe winter weather such as blizzards.