Library

Fact sheet describing analysis of potential heating and cooling savings from radiant barriers in attics.

Standard providing information on contractors who offer radon control services to homeowners.

An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

Information sheet with the definition and uses for a raised truss.

Technical report describing the Re-Side Right initiative by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Building America research team that proposes enhancing home efficiency during the re-siding process by incorporating an insulating layer that acts as both an air barrier and water resistive barrier...

Research study about two test homes that are examined with the goal of providing case studies that could be applied to other similar New England homes.

Article describing key takeaways from two symposia held during Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference and Expo, including that resilience can be affordable and cost-effective.

Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.

Report from FEMA on how to reduce damage from localized flooding including planning, drainage, building codes and retrofits, and regulations.

Research project aimed to verify whether homes in the New Jersey HPwES program achieved 30% source energy savings, and if so, what measures were implemented to achieve them.

Fact sheet describing an alternative to piles in V Zones and A Zones in coastal areas where soil properties preclude pile installation, but the need for an “open foundation system” still exists and recommendations for good masonry practices in coastal environments; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home...

Website describing the RELi rating system and leadership standard that takes a holistic approach to resilient design.

Report researching cost- effective solution packages for significant energy efficiency and indoor air quality improvements masonry multifamily urban buildings.

Table in the IRC describing bracing requirements for specified wind speeds and building story locations.

Webpage containing downloadable fact sheets covering carpet-related topics including Indoor Air Quality, Asthma and Allergy, Cleaning Products, and Environmental Sustainability.

Website describing the U.S. Department of Energy's residential buildings program.

Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2001 and revised in...

Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2017 and revised in...

Report describing information from DOE about rules and standards for residential air conditioners and heat pumps.

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

Report describing a study using parametric computer simulations of 112 single-family and 63 multi-family residential building prototypes to quantify the contributions of building components such as roofs, walls, windows, infiltration, outside air, lighting, equipment, and people to the aggregate...

A fact sheet educating homeowners on the importance of residential safe rooms, including their cost and how to register a safe room with local officials.

Website providing resources for seismic retrofits for builders and homeowners as well as city permit requirements from the City of Portland OR.

Fact sheet describing residential tornado safe room doors.

Website describing the USRC, which "brings an unparalleled level of capability to the mission of improving community resilience in the built environment."

Website providing resilient housing articles that relate to codes, including webinars, training, and guest articles.

Webpage with guidance document detailing voluntary interim guidelines for conducting home energy ratings on multifamily residential buildings.

Presentation describing RESNET grading criteria for insulation installation.

Report describing how modification of model specifications to include guidance on energy efficiency measures can create a greater level of consistency in executing energy efficiency retrofit measures across the multiple regions where a developer may work.

Report describing the costs, benefits, and challenges of attic insulation retrofits in HUD-code manufactured homes.

Guide on retrofitting insulation in cavities.

Report about a deep energy retrofit Cool Energy House.

This report discusses proposed updates to the pool pumps and motors, and portable electric spas standards in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations (California Code of Regulations, Title 20, Sections 1601 to 1609). These proposed updates are part of the 2012 Appliance Efficiency Rulemaking, Phase I...

Report describing how to construct a frost protected shallow foundation (FPSF) as a practical alternative to a deeper, more-costly foundation in cold regions with seasonal ground freezing and the potential for frost heave.

Information sheet about insulation retrofits for the hot-dry climate zones.

Information sheet about exterior insulation in the hot-dry climate zones.

Report covering non-combustible continuous exterior insulation and non-combustible roof venting.

Research report detailing Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) partnership with Manatee County Habitat for Humanity to design a compact, Zero Energy Ready Home in Florida, tackling challenges like equipment sizing and indoor air quality, offering insights for projects surpassing building code...

Article describing how insulating and air sealing unfinished attic spaces can lead to reduced energy bills in some homes.

Fact sheet describing improvements in the earthquake resistance of residential and commercial new construction through the adoption into the International Residential Code of seismic provisions including those developed by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

Website providing links to building codes, seismic codes, code enforcement, safe buildings, and seismic retrofitting.

Standard using deficiency-based and systematic procedures that use performance-based principles to evaluate and retrofit existing buildings to withstand the effects of earthquakes.

Standard using deficiency-based and systematic procedures that use performance-based principles to evaluate and retrofit existing buildings to withstand the effects of earthquakes. The current version of this standard was published in the year 2017, and is available in both digital and print...

Newsletter containing five articles focused on seismic retrofitting.

Report describing construction of test homes in Atlanta, GA meeting Building America savings targets and serving as a basis of design for other homes Martin Dodson plans to build within the Serenbe community.

Report evaluating the renovation of a 5,800-ft2, multiuse facility located in St. Petersburg, on the west coast of central Florida, in the hot-humid climate.

High-density sidewall cavity insulation can be a major comfort and savings boost. It saves energy by slowing both conductive and convective losses, but only if the right things are done and done right. This always requires site-specific thinking.

How hard can it be to insulate a flat sheet of concrete? I mean you only have three choices – on the top, on the bottom, or on the edge. OK, you might have some combination of the three as well.

Manual that identifies certain leakage limits for ducts and outlines procedures for testing ducts for conformity with air leakage limits that are set forth in a designer’s project specification.

Fact sheet describing building envelope performance measures applicable to residential and small commercial construction.