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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 151 - 200 of 344

Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building

Author(s)
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Sheinkopf Kenneth G,
Vieira Robin K
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Manual describing energy efficient building, design, and marketing strategies for Florida home builders.

Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Homepage for NREL research, support, and deployment information for the safety and health of workers, visitors, the public, the environment, and laboratory assets.

Evaluation of Interior Low-E Storm Windows in the PNNL Lab Homes

Author(s)
Petersen Joseph M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Report describing a research study of the performance of interior low-E storm windows in two test houses at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA.

Evaluation of Low-e Storm Windows in the PNNL Lab Homes

Author(s)
Widder Sarah H,
Knox J R
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Report describing a research study into the performance of Low-E storm windows installed in two test homes at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state.

Expansion Tanks 101: The Facts and Myths

Author(s)
Eatherton Mark
Organization(s)
Contractor Magazine
Publication Date
Article explaining common myths about expansion tanks and proper facts.

Fall Protection

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Labor
Organization(s)
DOL,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
OSHA
Publication Date
Webpage developed by OSHA to provide workers and employers useful, up-to-date information on fall protection.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA Bioengineered Shoreline Stabilization

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Document discussing methods to bioengineer stabilization of shorelines using living and non-living plant materials in combination, known as the “Living Shorelines” concept.

FEMA Building Code Requirements That Exceed or Are More Specific Than the National Flood Insurance Program

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Factsheet describing the flood-resistant provisions of the 2021 International Codes and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, that are “higher standards” and that are more specific than the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements.

FEMA Foundation and Anchoring Criteria for Safe Rooms

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet discussing designs for prefabricated safe rooms built to ICC 500 standards mentioned in FEMA P-361.

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A website providing information on funding for mitigation programs to reduce disaster losses under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

FEMA Title 44 CFR § 60.3(e)(7))

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
FEMA guidance for flood damage in areas prone to flooding.

Fire Network: Windows Vulnerabilities

Author(s)
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Organization(s)
UCANR,
University of California Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
A report showing what happens when windows break as a result of temperature differences between the inside and outside of the home, as well as code standards for the State of California regarding window exposure to wildfires.

Firebreak - Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

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

Flexible Duct Performance and Installation Standards

Author(s)
Air Diffusion Council
Organization(s)
ADC
Publication Date
Standard providing a comprehensive approach to evaluating, selecting, specifying and installing flexible duct in HVAC systems.

Flood Resistant Design and Construction, ASCE/SEI 24

Author(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Link to all versions of ASCE/SEI 24, a standard describing the minimum requirements and expected performance for the siting and design and construction of buildings and structures in flood hazard areas that are subject to building code requirements.

Foundations in Coastal Areas, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 3.1

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing foundation design criteria, foundation types suitable for coastal environments, and addressing foundations for high-elevation coastal areas (e.g., bluff areas); also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Gas-fired Water Heaters, Volume III, Storage Water Heaters with Input Ratings Above 75,000 Btu per Hour, Circulating and Instantaneous (ANSI Z21.10.3:19/CSA 4.3:19)

Author(s)
American National Standards Institute
Organization(s)
ANSI,
CSA Group
Publication Date
Standard that applies to storage water heaters, instantaneous water heaters, and circulating water heaters including booster water heaters; the current version of this standard was published in the year 2019 and it is available for purchase along with a digital preview on the ANSI webstore page.

GLP Emissions Criteria

Author(s)
Carpet and Rug Institute
Organization(s)
CRI
Publication Date
Document describing the emissions criteria for carpets, cushions, and adhesives to qualify as those with low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions under the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Plus Indoor Air Quality Testing Program.

GREENGUARD Certification for Paints and Coatings

Author(s)
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Organization(s)
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Publication Date
Standard describing GREENGUARD Emission Criteria for use with GREENGUARD Certification Program for Low Emitting Products.

Grim Lessons from Tornado Alley

Author(s)
Thompson Boyce
Organization(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA
Publication Date
Website article touring areas hit hardest by tornadoes to see how they are building differently to protect against the next big twister.

Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
Organization(s)
EPA,
NSCEP
Publication Date
Guidance for achieving safe and healthy indoor environments during home energy retrofits.

High Volume Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation
Organization(s)
PHMSA,
DOT
Publication Date
Webpage describing federal regulation related to excess flow valves on residential natural gas lines.

Home Fire Safety

Author(s)
American Red Cross
Organization(s)
American Red Cross
Publication Date
Website describing ways to prevent home house fires.

Home Ventilating Institute

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website providing certified rating programs to help manufacturers, builders, contractors and homeowners compare performance of ventilation products for air flow, sound, and other performance characteristics.

Housewrap, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 5.1

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
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.”

How Do Siting and Design Decisions Affect the Owner’s Costs? FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 2.1

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing effects of planning, siting, and design decisions on coastal home costs, including initial, operating, and long-term costs; risk determination; and the effect on costs of meeting and exceeding code and NFIP design and construction requirements; also published in FEMA P-499...

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

How to Find Indoor airPLUS Compliant Low Emission Products

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Companion document to the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications, providing guidance on identifying compliant products, including industry databases and examples of product labeling.

HVAC Duct Supports, AC 284

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
Standards criteria supporting ICC HVAC duct support standards.

HVI Airflow Test Procedure

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

HVI Certification Program Policies and Procedures

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Publication describing the requirements and procedures for the certified performance ratings program for residential ventilation products administered by the Home Ventilating Institute.

HVI Certified Products Directory

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Website providing an online directory of more than 3,600 residential ventilation products lisiting flowrates, sones, watts, and other performance metrics; all listed products have been tested by the Home Ventilating Institute.

Indoor Air Quality Certification

Author(s)
Scientific Certification Systems
Organization(s)
SCS
Publication Date
Standard supporting indoor air quality performance by producers, purchasers and policy makers to improve the environmental performance of products and services.

Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications, Version 1 (Rev. 04)

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Document outlining specifications that were developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize new homes equipped with a comprehensive set of indoor air quality (IAQ) features.