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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 - 9 of 9

Cooling and Heating Season Impacts of Right-Sizing of Fixed- and Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps With Attic and Indoor Ductwork

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R,
Kono Jamie E
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Publication Date
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

Cost Effectiveness of Home Energy Retrofits in Pre-Code Vintage Homes in the United States

Author(s)
Fairey Philip W,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study examining the opportunities for cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits in residential archetypes constructed before 1980 (Pre-Code) in 14 U.S. cities.

Efficient Multifamily Homes in a Hot Humid Climate by Atlantic Housing Partners

Author(s)
Chasar Dave,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report demonstrating how the initiative achieves Building America (BA) goals of 30%-50% energy savings in multifamily dwellings in the hot-humid climate zone.

Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction of a SEER 21 Heat Pump vs. a SEER 13 Heat Pump with Attic and Indoor Duct Systems

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.

Field and Laboratory Testing of Approaches to Smart Whole-House Mechanical Ventilation Control

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Fenaughty Karen,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report outlining how Smart ventilation controls (SVC) balance energy consumption, comfort, and IAQ by optimizing mechanical ventilation operation to reduce the heating and/or cooling loads, improve management of indoor moisture, and maintain IAQ equivalence according to ASHRAE 62.2.

Measure Guideline: Summary of Interior Ducts in New Construction, Including an Efficient, Affordable Method to Install Fur-Down Interior Ducts

Author(s)
Beal David,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Fonorow Ken,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document illustrating guidelines for efficient installation of interior duct systems in new housing.

Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from 2009 - 2010 Evaluation

Author(s)
Colon Carlos J,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report comparing the performance of seven differing types of residential water heating systems in a side-by-side test configuration over a full year period.

The Next Step Toward Widespread Residential Deep Energy Retrofits

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Martin Eric,
Elam Laura,
Baden Steve,
Bordelon Ed,
Saunders Susan
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
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.