Library

Guide providing minimum design and construction requirements for storm shelters that provide a safe refuge from storms that produce high winds, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

2009 edition of code establishing a baseline for the design and installation of fuel gas systems and gas fired appliances through performance requirements.

A supplement to the 2012 Florida Building Code on energy efficiency and conservation.

Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for New Homes.

Report summarizing the wind-resistant provisions of the 2015 edition of the International Building Code.

Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

A colored map showing seismic zones across the United States, ranging from lowest to highest seismic hazards.

Report assessing and scoring code enforcement and administration and contractor licensing in the 18 states most vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Building code for the state of California providing the building rules and regulations as well as disaster resistance tools.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

Residential building code for the State of Florida.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Performance rating standards for unitary air-conditioners and unitary air-source heat pumps, including definitions, classifications, testing, rating, and operating requirements, as well as minimum data requirements for published ratings and markings.

Report assessing building codes for the 18 Atlantic and Gulf coast states which are most prone to hurricanes, as of 2018.

Article describing ways builders can improve the hurricane resistance of the homes they construct, especially 1) strengthening the continuous load path, 2) upgrading the building envelope, and 3) improving the roof system performance.

Report providing builders in marine climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Web page describing essential guidelines and recommendations for optimal installation of ductless heat pumps in cold climates, ensuring maximum heating performance and long-term satisfaction for homeowners, supported by research-backed insights and detailed resources.

Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

Guidance document from the UN environment programme on climate-resilient buildings and communities practices, including guidance on heat waves, drought, hurricanes, and flooding.

Research study describing how envelope modifications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and domestic hot water and renewable resources can result in considerable energy reductions, using the first full year of detailed data collected about a single-family home that experienced a series...

Report describing the experience gained from AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program with first-hand accounts of disaster response and recovery, case studies and other best practices, including approaches to designing buildings to be more adaptable to uncertainty.

This is a federal tax credit for complying air source heat pumpe. Units located in the "North" must meet ENERGY STAR's cold climate heat pump criteria.

Document providing step-by-step guidance to sizing air-source heat pumps for a cold climate.

Webpage describing the functionality and benefits of switching to Air Source Heat Pumps, as well as linking to sets of products, rebates, most efficient ASHPs, and providing consumer aid for purchasing an ASHP.

Report about two test home evaluations that provided valuable data about the true in-field performance of various building mechanical systems and LAMELs.

Technical report describing how the FSEC Energy Research Center explores low-cost space-conditioning upgrades for existing homes by integrating centrally located, high-efficiency ductless mini split heat pumps with older but functional central space conditioning systems, aiming to achieve energy...

Report summarizing systems research activities for new housing in hot-humid climates, including NightCool, interior duct systems in manufactured housing, ventilation and dehumidification, plug load reduction and solar and conventional hot water.

Report on adding insulation to load-bearing mass masonry buildings.

Report outlining workflow and results of regression models on monthly and daily utility data (meter readings of electricity consumption), outlining a process for screening and gathering useful results from inverse models.

ASHRAE Standard prescribing an field evaluation and test method to measure and score the performance of unitary HVAC systems.

Standard providing a methodology for evaluating the installation quality of unitary HVAC systems.

A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

Wall bracing calculator simplifying the design of residential structures that comply with 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 or 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) wall bracing requirements.

Report describing partner approaches to achieving the Building America goal of 30% whole-house source energy savings using packages adopted at the community scale, using building projects in Florida as a reference.

Report about a building project in the marine climate.

Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.

Web-based mapping tool offering a fast, reliable way to look up key design parameters specified in Standard ASCE 7-10, 7-16, or 7-22 for a specific address or location which is free to use and can look up data for eight different environmental hazard types: wind, tornado, seismic, ice, rain, flood...

A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.

Web page describing the benefits of attic fans, with rules for sizing fans and intake vents.

Blog article discussing pros and cons of attic ventilation fans.

Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.

Webpage describing how to improve a variable capacity heat pump's efficiency by not programming a deep setback on the thermostat.

Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.

Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, utility bill data analysis, and results of on-site monitoring of a deep energy retrofit.

Information sheet from FEMA on preparation for extreme heat, including measures for keeping homes cool.

Report describing the best practices for the safe, efficient, and compliant installation of residential air source heat pump water heaters (HPWH) in California, aligning with the state's climate goals and providing guidance for educators, installers, and industry stakeholders.

Information sheet offering general recommendations on supplemental humidity control and outlines viable system configurations.

Article describing selecting insulation for minimizing condensation risks.

Book presenting the best techniques for energy and resource efficient residential construction in the colder climates of North America.