Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet about unvented fireplaces and combustion safety.
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 - 50 of 73
Organization(s)
ACCA
Publication Date
Description
Standard covering sizing strategies for all types of cooling and heating equipment, as well as how to use comprehensive manufacturer’s performance data on sensible, latent, or heating capacity for various operating conditions.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Document highlighting federal accessibility laws which may apply to a housing development, and common mistakes made in the field which, if avoided, will help to ensure compliance.
Organization(s)
BEEHA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report describing methodology, analysis, and findings from a case study of a 110-unit retrofit of gas tankless water heaters in a hot/humid climate in Alachua County, Florida.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting focusing on identifying gaps and barriers in combustion safety that need to be addressed by future research, and to develop data-driven technical recommendations for code updates so that a common approach for combustion safety can be adopted by all members of the building energy...
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Description
Guidance document providing BA research teams and partners with specific information and approaches to identifying and overcoming potential barriers to Building America (BA) innovations arising in and/or stemming from codes, standards, and rating methods.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Research study describing a number of promising foundation and basement insulation strategies that can meet the requirement for better thermal control in colder climates while enhancing moisture control, health, and comfort.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet describing research sponsored by DOE's Building America program to research the importance of attic air sealing and best practice attic air sealing techniques for new and existing homes.
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Description
Website providing CAD files and drawings of advanced framing details.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Research report providing a comparison of the most common residential water heating technologies to determine energy-efficient and cost-effective water heating technologies are when subjected to a variety of typical operating conditions.
Organization(s)
J. Neymark & Associates,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the progress toward and issues related to developing a usable, standardized, empirical data-based software accuracy test suite.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report presenting a parametric analysis using a numerical model of a new concept in desiccant and evaporative air conditioning.
Organization(s)
Colorado State University,
CSU,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Technology of Belfort-Montbeliard,
UTBM,
Fort Collins Utilities
Publication Date
Description
Journal article presenting a discussion of the state-of-the- art in electricity management in smart homes, the various enabling technologies that will accelerate this concept, and topics around consumer behavior with respect to energy usage.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report investigating performance and energy savings potential of heat pump water heaters.
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Description
Standard document containing the rater checklists and national program requirements for ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, Version 3 (Rev. 7).
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Colorado School of Mines
Publication Date
Description
Research study simulation adapting and applies the general framework described in Building Energy Simulation Test for Existing Homes for self-testing residential building energy model calibration methods.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study examining the effective moisture penetration depth (EMPD) model and its suitability for building simulations.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
NSTAR
Publication Date
Description
Research study searching for combinations of existing technologies that could enable a minimally invasive, cost-competitive, easily deployable method of upgrading soil-side foundation insulation in existing buildings.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report about an expert meeting focused on issues surrounding cladding attachment and performance of walls with exterior insulating sheathing.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting on the topic of performance guarantees and financing vehicles for energy efficiency upgrades.
Organization(s)
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
The main objective of this expert meeting was to bring together a group of experts intimately involved with issues related to assessing the performance of residential high efficiency water heating systems.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting report describing the need for greater understanding of foundation systems including moisture and insulation issues.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting report aimed at a greater understanding of the windows research that Building America partners and national laboratories are engaged in to help professionals and consumers choose best practice strategies.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting held to review and discuss results and future plans for research to improve the performance of hydronic heating systems using condensing boilers and baseboard convectors.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Expert meeting report recommending approaches to humidity control in high performance homes.
Organization(s)
Extension Foundation,
Cooperative Extension System
Publication Date
Description
Homepage for Extension Foundation, a partner of the Cooperative Extension System, whose goal is providing an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the best land-grant university minds across America.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study developing baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2 in. to 8 in.) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls.
Organization(s)
DOE,
EPA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet about the benefits of purchasing and installing ENERGY STAR rated fans and ventilation products.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Engineering guide discussing the use of dry floodproofing & appropriate installation techniques.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Report describing a project focused on the use of home energy ratings as a tool to promote energy retrofits in existing homes.
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining the issues and concerns with conventional ventilated crawlspaces and to outline prescriptive measures for improvements that will create healthier and more durable spaces.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report providing testing methodology to evaluate structural rim header designs over openings up to 6 ft. wide and applicable to one- and two-story homes.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Description
Report with test results that serve as a baseline of data for further material tests of other high-R wall systems and for comparison to whole-house wind pressure testing.
Organization(s)
The Fire Protection Research Foundation
Publication Date
Description
Report assessing the costs of home fire sprinkler systems.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report exploring four questions to determine the level of risk associated with adding drained exterior insulation to the exterior of an existing home during an energy retrofit.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Journal article presenting modeling of residential gas water heaters via dynamic simulation models to determine the effect of the pilot light on their annual energy consumption.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Colorado,
CU
Publication Date
Description
Report presenting improved air conditioner (AC) and heat pump (HP) modeling methods in the context of whole-building simulation tools.
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Gas Technology Institute
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing results of testing emerging combo water heating technologies under controlled laboratory operations, that differentiate the performance of the various packaged equipment configurations being offered.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report providing information about laboratory testing of four residential window air conditioners.
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Description
Brochure describing use of low-e storm windows as effective ways weatherization programs can increase the efficiency of windows without significant costs.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Description
Document providing information on the impact of various defects and the potential energy savings that can result from proper maintenance, and describing a two-step process for diagnosing and correcting faults. This document is targeted towards home performance contractors who are relatively...
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Document intended for designers and installers of hydronic heating systems interested in maximizing the overall system efficiency of condensing boilers when coupled with baseboard convectors. It is applicable to new and retrofit projects.
Organization(s)
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report providing guidance on how to implement a compact duct system inside a plenum truss bulkhead of a one-story, slab-on-grade home.
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Document covering the technical aspects of buried and insulated ducts (BEDs), as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and risks of BEDs compared to alternative strategies.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Description
Document intending to put some context and structure around the process of balancing and tuning one-pipe steam systems to help practitioners begin to garner the potential in energy savings that this measure presents.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.
Organization(s)
RESNET
Publication Date
Description
RESNET standards aimed to ensure that accurate and consistent home energy ratings are performed by accredited home energy rating providers through their raters nationwide.
Organization(s)
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report providing guidance to air sealing multifamily homes.