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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 1 - 50 of 56

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.

Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Website from the EPA containing information for homeowners and renters about how to identify asbestos in the home and how to deal with it to reduce exposure to it.

Residential Carbon Monoxide Alarming Devices, CSA 6.19-17 (R2022)

Author(s)
Canadian Standards Association
Organization(s)
CSA Group
Publication Date
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...

Guide for Team Leaders to Help Disaster Victims Get Back to a Healthy Home

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
Organization(s)
HUD,
CDC,
EPA,
FEMA,
OSHA
Publication Date
Guidance from HUD for volunteer team leaders, project managers and supervisors who work in recovery and rebuilding after natural disasters.

Health Problems Caused by Secondhand Smoke

Author(s)
Office on Smoking and Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Organization(s)
OSH,
NCCDPHP,
CDC
Publication Date
Webpage that describes health problems that can be caused by secondhand smoke.

American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood, ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2020

Author(s)
American National Standards Institute,
Decorative Hardwoods Association
Organization(s)
ANSI,
DHA
Publication Date
Standard detailing the specific requirements for all face, back, and inner ply grades as well as formaldehyde emissions, moisture content, tolerances, sanding, and grade marking which was published in 2020, can be acquired through a subscription with the ANSI webstore.

Field and Laboratory Testing of Approaches to Smart Whole-House Mechanical Ventilation Control

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Fenaughty Karen,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report outlining how Smart ventilation controls (SVC) balance energy consumption, comfort, and IAQ by optimizing mechanical ventilation operation to reduce the heating and/or cooling loads, improve management of indoor moisture, and maintain IAQ equivalence according to ASHRAE 62.2.

Stop Pests in Housing

Author(s)
Northeastern IPM Center
Organization(s)
Northeastern IPM Center
Publication Date
Website providing information on all types of pest management for multi-family housing.

Rats: Information for Tenants and Property Owners

Author(s)
City of New York
Organization(s)
City of New York
Publication Date
Website providing information about how to keep the properties rat-free and address conditions that can lead to rats.

An Update on Formaldehyde

Author(s)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Updated detailed information about Formaldehyde.

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.

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.

Low-Cost Radon Reduction Pilot Study

Author(s)
Francisco Paul W.,
Rose William B,
Merrin Zachary
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Indoor Climate Research and Training,
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report on the impact of air sealing between the foundation and the living space on radon transport reduction across the foundation and living space floor assembly at fifteen home.

Field Trial of an Aerosol-Based Enclosure Sealing Technology

Author(s)
Springer David,
Harrington Curtis
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report presenting the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelop air leaks.

Smoke-Free Public Housing and Multifamily Properties

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Organization(s)
HUD
Publication Date
Toolkits for residents and owner/managers who live and work in federally assisted housing.

Consumer Tips for a Post-Disaster Home Restoration

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Organization(s)
HUD
Publication Date
Brochure helping homeowners identify hazards, work with contractors to remove the hazards, help ensure the work is done properly, and educate when they can return safely to the home.

Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
This publication provides a set of best practices for improving indoor air quality in conjunction with energy upgrade work in homes.

Change Is In the Air

Author(s)
The Cadmus Group
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
HUD
Publication Date
This is a guide for establishing smoke-free policies in public housing and multifamily properties.

Formaldehyde

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Detailed information about Formaldehyde including health effects and strategies to reduce exposure.

Rodent Exclusion Methods

Author(s)
Wildlife Damage Management
Organization(s)
Wildlife Damage Management
Publication Date
Website providing information about how to prevent rodent entry in homes.

Building America Expert Meeting: Combustion Safety

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting focusing on identifying gaps and barriers in combustion safety that need to be addressed by future research, and to develop data-driven technical recommendations for code updates so that a common approach for combustion safety can be adopted by all members of the building energy...

A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Guide providing information for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth.

Mold

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Online course describing mold and mold remediation for environmental and public health professionals.

Smoke-Free Housing

Author(s)
Tobacco Free NYS
Organization(s)
Tobacco Free NYS
Publication Date
Initiatives of smoke-free housing policies in New York State.

Water Safety in Buildings

Author(s)
World Health Organization,
Institutional Repository for Information Sharing
Organization(s)
WHO,
IRIS
Publication Date
This text is one of series of supporting documents that provide guidance on implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality; intended to support improvement of water safety within buildings.

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.

IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings under Construction

Author(s)
Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association
Organization(s)
SMACNA
Publication Date
Book providing project management guidance in maintaining satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied buildings undergoing renovation or construction.

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.