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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 - 23 of 23

2012 IMC - International Mechanical Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2012 edition of code establishing minimum regulations for mechanical systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, ducts, fireplaces, combustion and hydronic systems, using prescriptive and performance-related provisions.

2015 IMC - International Mechanical Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 edition of code establishing minimum regulations for mechanical systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, ducts, fireplaces, combustion and hydronic systems, using prescriptive and performance-related provisions.

2018 IMC - International Mechanical Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing minimum regulations for mechanical systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, ducts, fireplaces, combustion and hydronic systems, using prescriptive and performance-related provisions.

ACCA Manual RS - Comfort, Air Quality, and Efficiency by Design

Author(s)
Rutkowski
Organization(s)
Air Conditioning Contractors of America
Publication Date
The manual covers residential zoning issues - multiple, single-zone, and central multi-zone systems - and includes advice on working with homeowners to adapt the heating or cooling system design to meet modern home design features.

Analyzing Design Heating Loads in Superinsulated Buildings

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report analyzing design heating load sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates and comparing them to the actual energy usage to determine if the building load calculation methodology should be changed for calculating the design heating load of these homes.

Combustion Appliance Safety Inspection for Vented Appliances

Author(s)
Building Performance Institute
Organization(s)
BPI
Publication Date
Fact sheet that details the steps needed to perform a combustion appliance safety inspection to determine if fossil fuel-fired appliances are operating safely under a depressurized condition.

Conway Street Apartments: A Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Source Energy and Carbon Decisions

Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Source Energy and Carbon Decisions chapter helps users carefully assess the impacts of switching from gas to electricity for heating end-uses, using source energy and/or carbon emissions...

Energy Saver

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Website from the U.S. Department of Energy providing consumers with information on saving energy and using renewable energy technologies.

ENERGY STAR HVAC Design Report

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
This report is designed to meet ASHRAE 62.2-2010/2013 and ANSI/ACCA’s 5 QI-2015 protocol, thereby improving the performance of HVAC equipment in new homes when compared to homes built to minimum code.

Evaluating Moisture Control of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps in Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes in Climate Zone 2A

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Withers Charles,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Chasar Dave,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
This report evaluates the performance of variable-capacity comfort systems, with a focus on inverter-driven, variable-capacity systems, as well as proposed system enhancements.

Evaporative Coolers: General History of the Evaporative Cooler

Author(s)
Pima County Public Library
Organization(s)
Pima County Public Library
Publication Date
Web article describing the evolution of evaporative coolers, water usage of evaporative coolers, and links to information on selecting an evaporative cooler.

Examining the Benefits of ECMs

Author(s)
Mohalley
Organization(s)
Air Conditioning,
Heating and Refrigeration (ACHR) News
Publication Date
Article describing benefits of ECM motors and how they can be installed as retrofit motors in HVAC equipment.

Measure Guideline: Condensing Boilers - Optimizing Efficiency and Response Time During Setback Operation

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report providing step-by-step instructions for heating contractors and hydronic designers for selecting the proper control settings to maximize system performance and improve response time when using a thermostat setback.

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.

Retrofitting PSC Motors with ECMs

Author(s)
Anesi Jen
Organization(s)
Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration News,
ACHR News
Publication Date
Article describing how replacing permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors with electronically commutated motors (ECM) can boost bottom line for HVAC contractors as well as improve customer comfort and satisfaction.

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.

Thermostatic Radiator Valve Evaluation

Author(s)
Dentz Jordan,
Ansanelli Eric
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership
Publication Date
Report on a project conducted to better understand the current usage of thermostatic radiator valves by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old thermostatic radiator valves as a means of controlling space temperatures...