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Library

Explore this extensive library of building science guidance including research reports from DOE’s Building America program as well as hundreds of other articles, fact sheets, webpages, and reference documents related to constructing and renovating homes.

Showing 51 - 100 of 123 results:

Firebreak - Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Urban Land Institute
·
Organization(s)
Urban Land Institute
Description
Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Flood Cleanup Infographic

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
US Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
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

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
Website providing series of short how-to videos, infographics and more resources on cleaning up a home after a flood.

Georgia Pulls the Attic-Ventilator Plug (Sort of)

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Defendorf Richard
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Description
Article describing issues with attic ventilation fans and why the state of Georgia residential code does not allow plug-in attic ventilation fans.

Geospatial Data Science

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Description
Website with prepopulated information about the United States renewable resources.

GIS Geography

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
GIS Geography
·
Organization(s)
GIS Geography
Description
A website providing free access to a variety of U.S. and international maps.

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

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
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.

Hood River Passive House

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Hales David
·
Organization(s)
WSU Extension Energy Programs,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Description
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 to Create a Naturally Cool Building

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Williams Jeremy
·
Organization(s)
The Earthbound Report
Description
Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Center for Environmental Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
·
Organization(s)
NCEH,
CDC
Description
Web page describing how to identify heat-related illness and how to prevent it.

National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Description
A website issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather and increasing the understanding of hazards.

New Light in Crawlspaces, BSI-009

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Building science insight into crawlspaces.

NightCool: A Nocturnal Radiation Cooling Concept

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Hermelink Andreas H,
Sherwin John S
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Report about an experimental evaluation has been conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

Passive Cooling

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
·
Organization(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Description
Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.

Passive Cooling

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cook Jeffrey,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
MIT Press,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
MIT
Description
Book describing passive cooling techniques from a technical and academic perspective.

Passive Solar Design

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Williams College
·
Organization(s)
Williams College
Description
Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

Plymouth Community Center Project

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
City of Plymouth,
State of Minnesota
·
Organization(s)
City of Plymouth,
State of Minnesota
Description
City of Plymouth webpage providing information on the Plymouth Community Center Project.

Prevent Home Roof Damage from Heavy Snow and Ice.

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
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.

Reexamining Roof Ventilation

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Woods Tony
·
Organization(s)
Home Energy,
National Association for State Community Services Programs,
NASCSP
Description
Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Renewable Energy Annual

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Information Administration
·
Organization(s)
EIA
Description
Data tables on U.S. renewable energy consumption and general trends in the market for renewable energy.

Residential Dehumidification Systems Research for Hot-Humid Climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
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.

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

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Puttagunta Srikanth
·
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Description
Report on air-sealing programs for energy-efficiency retrofits.

Roof Venting in a Wet Climate

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Fisette Paul
·
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Description
Q&A article discussing how to address moisture issues in an attic in a wet and humid coastal climate.

Snow Loads

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Wilkerson
·
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Description
Webpage providing information about design snow loads and a free interactive ground snow load mapping tool for the contiguous United States, as well as snow load calculation methods.

Solar Pathfinder

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Solar Pathfinder
·
Organization(s)
Solar Pathfinder
Description
Tool determining the most economical and efficient photovoltaic array location and position.

Solar Radiation Data Manual for Buildings

Author(s)
Marion William,
Wilcox Stephen
·
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Document providing incident solar radiation data and window overhang sizing guidance for multiple locations across the U.S.

Solmetric SunEye

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Solmetric Inc.
·
Organization(s)
Solmetric Inc.
Description
Handheld solar site analysis tool capturing whole-horizon images for a site and generating shading analysis reports.

Storm Prediction Center

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Description
A website providing timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States.

Suitability of foundation heat exchangers for ground source heat pump systems in European climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cullin James R,
Spitler Jeffrey D,
Gehlin Signhild E A
·
Organization(s)
Federation of European Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations,
REHVA,
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
Swedish Centre for Shallow Geothermal Energy
Description
A research paper discussing the use of foundation heat exchangers for ground source heat pump systems in European climates.

Sun Control and Shading Devices

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Prowler Don,
Bourg Joseph
·
Organization(s)
Whole Building Design Guide
Description
Article providing fundamental information and recommendations for shading windows for energy savings.

Supplemental Dehumidification in Warm-Humid Climates, BA-1310

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Rudd Armin
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced.

Survey of Whole House Programs in Midwestern Climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
McGeough U,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Research study making several recommendations to whole-home program designers and implementers for improving the cost effectiveness and reach of whole-home programs.