Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 51 - 100 of 130 results:

Excessive Heat Events Guidebook

2006

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Guidebook meant to provide public officials with information on excessive heat event.

Exploring Cost-Effective High Performance Residential Retrofits for Affordable Housing in the Hot Humid Climate

2010

McIlvaine Janet,

et al.

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC,

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Report presenting the process of a residential retrofit project for houses in the states of Florida and Alabama, including findings at the time of reporting and highlights of the first home to meet the target HERS Index of 70.

Extreme Weather and Climate Vulnerabilities of the Electric Grid: A Summary of Environmental Sensitivity Quantification Methods

2019

Allen-Dumas Melissa R,

KC Binita,

Cunliff Colin I

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL

Technical report detailing the vulnerabilities of the U.S. electric grid to weather-related failures.

Fans for Cooling

2020

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

DOE webpage that gives and overview of fans for cooling.

Fans to Reduce Cooling Costs in the Southeast

1985

Florida Solar Energy Center

FSEC

FSEC PDF guide on effective fan types and placement in the Southeast.

FEMA Bioengineered Shoreline Stabilization

2018

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Document discussing methods to bioengineer stabilization of shorelines using living and non-living plant materials in combination, known as the “Living Shorelines” concept.

FEMA National Risk Index

2023

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Website providing maps for natural disaster risk in the United States.

Field Evaluation of Advances in Energy-Efficiency Practices for Manufactured Homes

2016

Dentz Jordan,

et al.

Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,

ARIES

Report on the field evaluation of whole-building approaches and estimation of the relative contributions of select technologies toward reducing energy use related to space conditioning in new manufactured homes.

Field Testing Unvented Roofs with Asphalt Shingles in Cold and Hot-Humid Climates

2015

Ueno Kohta,

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report to understand the long-term moisture performance of unvented roof assemblies with fibrous insulation.

Firebreak - Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

2020

Urban Land Institute

Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Flood Cleanup Infographic

2022

US Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

This document includes tips for safely and effectively cleaning up a home after a flood. It is available in several languages.

Flooded Homes Cleanup Guidance

2023

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Website providing series of short how-to videos, infographics and more resources on cleaning up a home after a flood.

Fourth National Climate Assessment, Vol 2: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States

2018

U.S. Global Change Research Program

USGCRP

Report analyzing the effect of global climate change on national interests, and providing climate predictions.

Georgia Pulls the Attic-Ventilator Plug (Sort of)

2011

Defendorf Richard

Green Building Advisor

Article describing issues with attic ventilation fans and why the state of Georgia residential code does not allow plug-in attic ventilation fans.

Georgia State Supplements and Amendments to the International Energy Conservation Code (2015 Edition)

2020

Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Document describing amendments to IECC 2015 to create the Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code.

Geospatial Data Science

2014

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

U.S. Department of Energy

NREL,

DOE

Website with prepopulated information about the United States renewable resources.

GIS Geography

2024

GIS Geography

A website providing free access to a variety of U.S. and international maps.

Gossamer Wind Ceiling Fans

2014

Florida Solar Energy Center,

University of Central Florida

FSEC,

UCF

Website providing information about the Gossamer Wind Series Ceiling fans, conceived by Danny Parker at the Florida Solar Energy Center as a means of realizing the energy efficiency and comfort potential of ceiling fans.

Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates

2022

Gilbride Theresa L,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Report identifying Building America and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code climate zone designations for every county in the United States; where a county's climate zone designation has changed since the 2018 IECC, that change is indicated as well.

Home Ventilating Institute

2020

Home Ventilating Institute

Website providing certified rating programs to help manufacturers, builders, contractors and homeowners compare performance of ventilation products for air flow, sound, and other performance characteristics.

Hood River Passive House

2013

Hales David

WSU Extension Energy Programs,

Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,

BA-PIRC

Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

2018

Home Ventilating Institute

Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

How to Build Small Affordable Houses That Use 30% Less Total Energy in the Mixed-Humid Climate

2020

Green Building Solutions

A report describing how to build a high-performance affordable house to achieve 30% whole house energy savings in the mixed-humid climate region.

HVI Airflow Test Procedure

2015

Home Ventilating Institute

HVI

Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

HVI Certification Program Policies and Procedures

2020

Home Ventilating Institute

HVI

Publication describing the requirements and procedures for the certified performance ratings program for residential ventilation products administered by the Home Ventilating Institute.

HVI Certified Products Directory

2020

Home Ventilating Institute

HVI

Website providing an online directory of more than 3,600 residential ventilation products lisiting flowrates, sones, watts, and other performance metrics; all listed products have been tested by the Home Ventilating Institute.

Impact of Residential Mechanical Ventilation on Energy Cost and Humidity Control

2014

Martin Eric

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC,

Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,

IBACOS

The study described in this white paper is based on building energy modeling with an important focus on the indoor humidity impacts of ventilation.

Improving Comfort, Saving Energy with Large Circulator Fans

2008

Aynsley Richard

Big Ass Fans,

HPAC Engineering

Article describing how air speed affects thermal comfort and how fans can provide energy savings.

Indoor Air Pollution from Cooking

2020

California Air Resources Board,

California Environmental Protection Agency

CARB,

CalEPA

Article describing ways home owners can improve ventilation in their kitchens.

Insulating Concrete Forms for Multifamily Residential Construction

2019

Lemay Lionel,

Peng Tien

Civil + Structural Engineers

Article describing methods for designing and constructing multifamily buildings with insulating concrete forms (ICFs).

Is It Ever Helpful to Use a Powered Attic Ventilator?

2021

Bailes Allison

Energy Vanguard

Blog article citing the risks and downsides of attic ventilation fans from a building science perspective.

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

2021

National Center for Environmental Health,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NCEH,

CDC

Web page describing how to identify heat-related illness and how to prevent it.

Measure Guideline: Ventilation Cooling

2012

Springer David,

Dakin Bill,

German Alea

Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,

ARBI,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Davis Energy Group,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Guide describing proper application, design, and installation of mechanical ventilation cooling systems for homes located in hot-dry and cold-dry climates, as well as a means of understanding the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of these systems.

Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System (MAEDbS) Enhancements and Improvements

2022

California Energy Commission

Webpage for the CEC’s Modern Appliance Efficiency Database System

Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System Product List

2022

California Energy Commission

CEC

List of appliance brands and models, showing their performance and efficiency as tested by the appropriate standard.

National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center

2020

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

National Weather Service

NOAA,

NWS

A website issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather and increasing the understanding of hazards.

New Light in Crawlspaces, BSI-009

2010

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Building science insight into crawlspaces.

New Maps of Annual Average Temperature and Precipitation from the U.S. Climate Normals

2021

Lindsey Rebecca

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

NOAA

Webpage presenting updated maps for annual average temperature and precipitation in the contiguous U.S.

Night Ventilation Cooling Compliance Option

2011

California Statewide Utility Codes and Standards Program

California Public Utilities Commission,

CPUC

Document describing recommended modeling rules, potential compliance credits, and eligibility criteria for residential night ventilation cooling systems for California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards.

Participant Assisted Data Collection Methods in the California Healthy Homes Indoor Air Quality Study of 2011-13

2013

Mullen Nasim A,

Li Jina,

Singer Brett C

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,

LBNL

Report describing a field study to measure pollutant concentrations in 324 homes in California.

Performance Assessment of Photovoltaic Attic Ventilator Fans

2000

Parker Danny S,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Prevent Home Roof Damage from Heavy Snow and Ice.

2019

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.

Radon-Resistant New Construction Builder/Contractor Resources

2013

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Website with information about radon-resistant construction techniques and other radon resources for builders, contractors and homebuyers.

Recommended Residential Construction for Coastal Areas: Building on Strong and Safe Foundations, FEMA P-550

2009

Coulbourne Bill,

et al.

Federal Emergency Management Agency,

FEMA,

URS Corporation,

DK Low and Associates,

Greenhorne and O'Mara,

Dewberry and Davis

Report providing recommended designs and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

Reexamining Roof Ventilation

2000

Woods Tony

Home Energy,

National Association for State Community Services Programs,

NASCSP

Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Residential Dehumidification Systems Research for Hot-Humid Climates

2005

Lstiburek Joseph W,

et al.

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Research study identifying the best performing, most energy-efficient and cost- effective techniques to provide controlled mechanical ventilation and humidity control in hot- humid climates with thermally efficient building envelopes.

Residential Fan Efficiency - Code Notes

2012

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

IECC code note explaining new fan efficacy requirements, along with how to determine which fans are affected by the new fan requirements.

Retrofitting a 1960s Split-Level, Cold-Climate Home

2015

Puttagunta Srikanth

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Report on air-sealing programs for energy-efficiency retrofits.

Review of Residential Comfort Control Products and Opportunities

2017

Metzger Cheryn E,

Goyal Siddharth,

Baechler Michael C

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

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.

Roof Venting in a Wet Climate

2011

Fisette Paul

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Q&A article discussing how to address moisture issues in an attic in a wet and humid coastal climate.