Organization(s)
Niagara Frontier Publications
Publication Date
Description
Recommendations from IBHS describing how to safely use generators during winter storm power outages.
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 51 - 100 of 100
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR
Publication Date
Description
Report examining the impacts that common installation practices and age- induced equipment degradation may have on the installed performance of natural gas furnaces, as measured by steady-state efficiency and AFUE.
Organization(s)
BetterBuiltNW
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet describing techniques for installing ductless heat pumps in cold climate locations.
Organization(s)
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report that describes BSC's Houses That Work II (HTWII) climate-specific technical resource, beginning with an overall HTWII introduction and four sections explaining the four most important hygro-thermal climate regions: Hot-Humid, Mixed-Humid, Cold, and Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry.
Organization(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet providing links and resources for insulating basements in cold climates.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report examining performance measures in the context of a large-scale renovation project.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Description
Report on the long-term performance of mini-split heat pumps.
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report presenting a cold climate project that examines the relationships among energy efficient single-family residential thermal enclosures, room-to-room temperature variations, and simplified space conditioning systems.
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report about a two-year study intended to document the energy performance of a house in each sub-metered area and compare the performance to modeled predictions and to assess the thermal comfort performance of the single point mini-split heat pump.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Description
Document covering installation of high efficiency gas furnaces, including when to install a high efficiency gas furnace as a retrofit measure, how to identify and address risks, and steps to follow for the selection and installation process.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Document providing information on basement insulation, air sealing and water management retrofits.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Research study outlining results of monitoring a low temperature heat pump.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report about exterior sheathing insulation and inward driven moisture issues.
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)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study examining the performance of existing multifamily ventilation central systems and explored alternative solutions in retrofit situations.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Northwest Energy Works
Publication Date
Description
Research study conducted on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report documenting actual energy savings of a retrofit project in Boulder, CO.
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.
Organization(s)
UMass Amherst Department of Environmental Conservation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing how ice dams form on residential roofs, how they damage homes, and solutions to prevent future dams.
Organization(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Publication Date
Description
Ice dam fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report about seven pilot homes and development of guidelines for deep energy retrofits in cold climates.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Research study about two test homes that are examined with the goal of providing case studies that could be applied to other similar New England homes.
Organization(s)
NDSU
Publication Date
Description
Webpage explaining how to mitigate heat loss through roofs for ice dam prevention.
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)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report describing how modification of model specifications to include guidance on energy efficiency measures can create a greater level of consistency in executing energy efficiency retrofit measures across the multiple regions where a developer may work.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Research study about a high performance retrofit of an existing brick building (a former convent) into condominiums, all affordable housing.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing procedures for increasing sensible efficiencies through increased flow rates across the air handling unit and increased indoor coil sizes.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
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...
Organization(s)
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Study conducted to help determine cost-effective solutions for heating and cooling houses that are designed to be energy efficient.
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.
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.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR
Publication Date
Description
Report about results of 10 test buildings in Chicago, studied to identify best practices for methodology, typical costs, and energy savings associated with steam system balancing.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report providing information based on research and case studies, to remodelers and consumers about opportunities to increase home energy performance.
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation,
VEIC
Publication Date
Description
Document explaining the benefits of evaluating and identifying energy efficiency retrofit measures that could be made during renovation and maintenance of multifamily buildings.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study making several recommendations to whole-home program designers and implementers for improving the cost effectiveness and reach of whole-home programs.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
NSTAR
Publication Date
Description
Case study describing the External Thermal and Moisture Management System developed by the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership for retrofitting roofs with rigid foam over the roof deck, especially on one and a half-story homes.
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)
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Western Massachusetts Electric Company,
Northeast Utilities
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing results from a study in Massachusetts that aimed to upgrade existing homes and incorporate solar thermal systems.
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report about a project with successful integration of numerous energy-conservation and renewable-energy features into a beautiful, comfortable, and very energy-efficient off-grid home.
Organization(s)
CCHRC
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing how different amounts and types of snow loads affect the structural integrity of roofs and homes.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing results from a case study about whole-house mechanical ventilation systems in Chicago.
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Article describing sustainable community development of near zero energy homes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the design and construction of a highly energy efficient community of ten duplexes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Research study describing demonstration homes that provided a wealth of information for the building community in terms of the science, effort, and cost of increasing the energy efficiency of our nation's housing stock.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report detailing retrofit of two existing houses in the Wyandotte Neighborhood program.
Organization(s)
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report and case study describing a retrofit project for single family homes in the Pacific Northwest.
Organization(s)
BAIHP,
ORNL
Publication Date
Description
Report about a building project in the marine climate.