Library

Report providing builders in the hot-dry and mixed-dry 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.

A guidebook helping builders in hot-humid climates design and construct homes for energy efficiency, durability, health, safety, and comfort.

Report examining the structural properties and applications of an innovative studless building system, detailing its testing regime and providing an engineering guide for architects and engineers.

Fact sheet poster describing how to add exterior, continuous, rigid insulation to the exterior walls when replacing siding on an existing home.

Report on the design and evaluation of extended plate and beam.

Case study on the design and evaluation of extended plate and beam, located in Mount Joy Pennsylvania.

Specifications for water heating systems designed to advance higher performing electric and gas heat pump water heaters.

Webinar answering code-related questions on duct leakage tests, moisture levels in attics and crawlspaces, combustion equipment in conditioned attics, ventilation in multifamily buildings, and continuous insulation in residential construction.

Guidance document providing BA research teams and partners with specific information and approaches to identifying and overcoming potential barriers to Building America (BA) innovations arising in and/or stemming from codes, standards, and rating methods.

Article describing correct ways to attach rigid insulation to the exterior of commercial and residential buildings.

Part I of the Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x6 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as exterior sheathing, gypsum board as interior sheathing, and a cladding system installed over WSP sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories in height. Walls with...

Document presenting step-by-step process for installing rigid insulating sheathing over wood studs or house wrap.

Report describing the analytical study of renewable energy retrofits to homes built before 1980 and whether it is cost efficient or not.

Fact sheet poster describing benefits and qualification of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) certified Zero Energy Ready Homes and providing eight examples of certified homes.

Report identifying two barriers that limit the ability of builders to explore opportunities for higher levels of energy efficiency in housing: the use of duct system materials that inherently achieve airtightness and are right-sized for low-load houses, and, the ability to air seal fire separation...

Report on high-R wall design called extended plate and beam that uses foam sheathing insulation with wall framing.

Document providing supplemental information for code enforcement professionals about header hangers in bearing walls.

Fact sheet describing the function of housewrap, its attributes, and common problems associated with its use, including housewrap vs. building paper and housewrap installation; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Research study describing the impact resistance performance of advanced framed wall systems with insulating sheathing as the primary sheathing from wind blown debris.

Guide describing sound mitigation measures to lower building natural disaster vulnerability to assist local officials and community decision makers in coastal areas.

Case study about how to properly tape insulating sheathing drainage planes.

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Document providing supplemental information for code enforcement professionals about headers in nonbearing walls.

Report documenting actual energy savings of a retrofit project in Boulder, CO.

Fact sheet poster describing an online tool offered within the Building America Solution Center which provides construction guidance for builders and contractors in building and renovating homes to be more resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and wildfires, etc.

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.

Conference paper describing testing of the performance of fasteners used to attach rigid foam insulation to the exterior of walls.

Fact sheet poster describing a DOE tool that walks homeowners through a series of simple questions to produce a list of retrofit recommendations to improve the energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and durability of the homeowners’ home, while also lowering their carbon footprint.

Article describing the evolution of the IRC to permit class 3 vapor retarders (latex paint) in walls coupled with exterior continuous insulation to allow drying and reduce condensation risk.

Case study about a structural sheathing product composed of enhanced EPS rigid foam with OSB adhered on one side.

Research study describing research underway to better understand building thermal energy modeling tools.

Fact sheet describing the requirements for EPA WaterSense certified kitchen faucets that highlights flow rate specifications, efficiency code standards, local requirements, faucet types and regulations for building and verifying a labeled faucet to ensure it meets the quality and water management...