Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 51 - 100 of 159 results:

Designing Houses That Keep Their Cool

2013

Wilson Alex

Green Building Advisor

Article from Green Building Advisor on strategies to take when building homes to reduce the need for air conditioning, including insulation, windows, site selection, and roofing.

DSIRE - Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

2020

NC Clean Energy Technology Center

NC Clean Energy Technology Center,

North Carolina State University,

NC State University

Website for finding policies and incentives by state for renewables and efficiency.

Ecosystems Research

2016

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

A map describing the average temperature of shallow groundwater in Fahrenheit across the continental United States.

Electric Energy Management in the Smart Home: Perspectives on Enabling Technologies and Consumer Behavior

2013

Zipperer Adam,

et al.

Colorado State University,

CSU,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

University of Technology of Belfort-Montbeliard,

UTBM,

Fort Collins Utilities

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.

Energy Auditor - Single Family 2.0: Attic Ventilation

2016

Weatherization Assistance Program

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Powerpoint on attic ventilation developed as training material for the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Energy Performance Techniques and Technologies: Preserving Historic Homes, Volume 13

2011

Britt Michelle,

et al.

Kaufman Heritage Conservation,

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Document providing a resource to help contractors renovate historic houses, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort.

ENERGY STAR HVAC Quality Installation Program

2011

ENERGY STAR

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ENERGY STAR factsheet describing the HVAC Quality Installation Program

EPA Clean Air Act Section 608: Stationary Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

2024

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. EPA

Section 608 establishes EPA’s National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program designed to reduce emissions related to maintaining, servicing, repairing, and disposing of air conditioning or refrigeration equipment.

Erosion Control Treatment Selection Guide

2006

U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA,

USDA Forest Service

A publication developed by the U.S. Forest Service for its employees and other federal agency staff describing erosion control methods.

Evaluation of Bias Issues within Regression-Based Inverse Modeling Methods Against Climate and Building Characteristics Using Synthetic Data

2010

Cummings Jamie E,

Parker Danny S,

Sutherland Karen

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Report evaluating the accuracy of the regression technique used in 2006 by using the same least-squares regression analysis on data created from hourly energy simulation software.

Excessive Heat Events Guidebook

2006

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

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

Expert Meeting Report: Key Innovations for Adding Energy Efficiency to Maintenance Projects

2012

Wiehagen Joseph,

Wood Amber

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Expert meeting describing meeting details for key innovations for adding energy efficiency upgrades to maintenance projects.

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.

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 Assessment of Energy Audit Tools for Retrofit Programs

2013

Bohac Dave,

et al.

NorthernSTAR,

University of Minnesota,

UMN

Report describing a project focused on the use of home energy ratings as a tool to promote energy retrofits in existing homes.

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.

Fort Benning Indianhead Townhome Renovations

2012

Stephenson R,

et al.

NAHB Research Center,

Home Innovation Research Labs,

HIRL,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Southface Energy Institute,

SEI

Report outlining the energy upgrade package implemented in Ft. Benning, GA, Indianhead Townhomes project and the findings of the Southface Energy Institute's post-renovation analysis.

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.

Greenbelt Homes Pilot Energy Efficiency Programs Phase 1 Summary: Existing Conditions and Baseline Energy Use

2013

Wiehagen Joseph,

Del Bianco Marie,

Wood Amber

NAHB Research Center,

Home Innovation Research Labs,

HIRL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report detailing field walk-through evaluations, energy simulations for projected savings with exterior insulation upgrades, building envelope energy improvement cost estimates, and installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment and data.

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.

Healthy and Affordable Housing: Practical Recommendations for Building, Renovating and Maintaining Housing

2001

Brennan Terry,

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Document providing guidance about building healthy homes using building science principles.

Home Energy Displays: Consumer Adoption and Response

2012

LaMarche Janelle,

et al.

Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,

Fraunhofer CSE,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Research study investigating the factors influencing consumer adoption of HEDs and evaluating the resulting electricity consumption.

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 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.

IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings under Construction

2008

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association

SMACNA

Book providing project management guidance in maintaining satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied buildings undergoing renovation or construction.

Impact of installation faults in air conditioners and heat pumps in single-family homes on U.S. energy usage

2020

Jon Winkler,

et al.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Journal article detailing laboratory and simulation studies quantifying the impact that heat pump and air conditioner installation faults have on system capacity and efficiency.

Increasing the Durability of Building Constructions, BSD-144

2006

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSD

Report discussing the importance of durability and energy efficiency in building construction.

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.

Low-Cost Evaluation of Energy Savings at the Community Scale, Fresno California

2012

Burdick Arlan,

Rapport Ari,

Poerschke Andrew

Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,

IBACOS,

Wathen Castanos Hybrid Homes,

WCHH,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report using a field test plan to evaluate the success of implementing energy efficiency upgrades at the community scale incorporating whole-house systems integrated measures package (SIMP).

Method for Determining Optimal Residential Energy Efficiency Packages

2011

Polly Benjamin,

et al.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Report describing an analysis method for determining optimal residential energy efficiency retrofit packages and applies the analysis method to a 1960s-era home in eight U.S. cities.

Multi-Year Advanced Residential Building Systems Research - Revisions to Quality Management Products

2008

Home Innovation Research Labs

HIRL

Report discussing development of scopes of work and quality management for builders in mixed-humid climates.

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.

National Residential Efficiency Measures Database Aimed at Reducing Risk for Residential Retrofit Industry

2012

Roberts David

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Information sheet about the National Residential Efficiency Measures Database, a public database that characterizes the performance and costs of common residential energy efficiency measures.

Needs of Non Energy-Focused Contractors

2012

Liaukus Christine

Building America Retrofit Alliance,

BARA,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report investigating what motivates remodelers to become energy-focused and what technical knowledge that need to be energy-focused.

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.

Performance Assessment of Photovoltaic Attic Ventilator Fans

2000

Parker Danny S,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Pilot Evaluation of Energy Savings from Residential Energy Demand Feedback Devices

2008

Parker Danny S,

Hoak David,

Cummings Jamie E

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

First
Previous
1
2
3
…
Next
Last