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Explore this extensive library of building science guidance including research reports from DOE’s Building America program as well as hundreds of other articles, fact sheets, webpages, and reference documents related to constructing and renovating homes.

Showing 51 - 100 of 346 results:

Building Materials Property Table, Info-500

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
·
Organization(s)
BSC
Description
Document presenting some of the key technical properties of many of the most common building materials.

Building Performance Institute Certified Professionals

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Building Performance Institute
·
Organization(s)
BPI
Description
A comprehensive list of professional certifications offered by the Building Performance Institute. The webpage includes links to overviews of the different certificates, certification scheme handbooks, and directions for taking certification exams and recertification.

Building Science Introduction

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
Document outlining building science principles about air flow, heat flow and moisture flow in homes.

Chicagoland Single-Family Housing Characterization

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Brand Larry,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
CNT Energy,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Description
Report identifying housing characteristics and energy use for fifteen single-family housing types and specifies measure packages that provide an optimum level of energy savings based on a BEopt analysis.

Coastal Construction Manual - Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, Fourth edition, Volume I, FEMA P-55

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Coulbourne William,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA,
Applied Technology Council,
ATC,
URS Group,
DK Low and Associates,
Atkins,
TLSmith Consulting
Description
Volume 1 of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, and risk management for homes constructed in coastal environments.

Coastal Construction Manual - Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, Fourth Edition, Volume II, FEMA P-55

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Coulbourne William,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA,
Applied Technology Council,
ATC,
URS Group,
DK Low and Associates,
Atkins,
TLSmith Consulting
Description
Volume II of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to design, construction, and renovation of homes located in coastal environments.

Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump Specification, Version 4.0

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
·
Organization(s)
NEEP
Description
Specification defining performance and reporting requirements to meet the voluntary “Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump Specification” (ccASHP Specification) for air source heat pumps suited to heat efficiently in cold climates (IECC cz 4 and higher).

Comfort in High-Performance Homes in a Hot-Humid Climate

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Beach Robert,
Poerschke Andrew
·
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report describing how space-conditioning systems are operating in the field and if these systems are meeting required standards.

Commissioning of the Fresno, California, Retrofit Unoccupied Test House

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Stecher Dave,
Imm C
·
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report about instrumentation and limited short-term testing completed on a retrofit unoccupied test house in Fresno, California.

Comparison of Home Retrofit Programs in Wisconsin

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cunningham Kerrie,
Hannigan Eileen
·
Organization(s)
University of Minnesota,
UMN,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Research study comparing various retrofit models in Wisconsin to evaluate performance in terms of savings per home and program cost per home to assess the relative cost effectiveness of each program design.

Comparison of Measured and Calculated Residential Cooling Loads

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Barnaby Charles S,
Wilcox Bruce A
·
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Description
Technical report detailing a study in which actual cooling loads are compared to modeled cooling loads.

Conceptual 3D Advanced Framing Drawing

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Green Building Advisor
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Description
Document containing a 3D drawing (CAD) of advanced framing details.

Construction & Design Considerations in Warmer Climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Zero Energy Project
·
Organization(s)
Zero Energy Project
Description
Guidance from Zero Energy Project on construction techniques for warmer climates, such as home orientation, and insulation requirements.

Cool Colored Materials for Roofs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Akbari Hashem,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
California Energy Commission,
CEC,
Public Interest Energy Research Program,
PIER,
Laboratory Directed Research and Development,
LDRD,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Description
Study describing efforts and outcomes in developing color-pigmented roofing products with coatings to increase solar reflectance.

Cool Roofs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
ENERGY STAR webpage discussing the costs and benefits of cool roofs.

Cool Roofs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Webpage from U.S. Department of Energy describing 'cool roofs' and their usage for passive home cooling.

Cool Roofs Help Reduce Energy Costs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA
Description
Web page providing information on the types of cool roofs and their benefits to consumers.

Cool Surfaces Savings Explorer

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
Tool developed by LBNL to calculate potential savings from increasing wall and roof solar reflectance.

Cooling and Heating Season Impacts of Right-Sizing of Fixed- and Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps With Attic and Indoor Ductwork

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R,
Kono Jamie E
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Description
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

Cooling Related Performance of Finished and Unfinished Metal Roofing Systems

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Sherwin John S
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of finished and unfinished metal roofing systems on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Cooling with a Whole-House Fan

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
DOE Energy Saver webpage summarizing the use of whole-house fans for cooling.

Cooling with Ventilation

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Chandra Subrato,
Houston Michael M,
Fairey Philip W
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Report providing recommendations to builders regarding how to reduce cooling loads, use air-circulation fans, natural ventilation, window and building design for natural ventilation, and whole-house fans.

Cooling Your Home Naturally

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Description
Short report providing tips on how to reduce heat gain and passively cool a home.

Cost Effectiveness of Home Energy Retrofits in Pre-Code Vintage Homes in the United States

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Fairey Philip W,
Parker Danny S
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Report describing the analytical study of renewable energy retrofits to homes built before 1980 and whether it is cost efficient or not.

Cost of Constructing a Home

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Ford Carmel
·
Organization(s)
National Association of Home Builders,
NAHB
Description
Document describing the methodology and results from 2009 to 2019 of the National Association of Home Builders' Construction Cost survey, which collects information from builders on the various components that go into the sales price of a typical single-family home.

CRRC - Cool Roof Rating Council

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cool Roof Rating Council
·
Organization(s)
CRRC
Description
Website providing information about the Cool Roof Rating Council including programs, membership, and resources for the construction industry.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Lessons learned

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Less Brennan,
Walker Iain S
·
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Lessons Learned chapter focuses on successful deep energy retrofit projects throughout the U.S.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Occupant Behavior

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Less Brennan,
Walker Iain S
·
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Occupant Behavior chapter discusses how to assess homeowner behavior patterns and use these patterns to enhance overall energy savings.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Over-Time, Phased Guidance

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Less Brennan,
Walker Iain S
·
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Description
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Over Time, Phased Guidance chapter presents a phased approach to deep energy retrofits.

Designing Houses That Keep Their Cool

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Wilson Alex
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Description
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.

Designing Your Home to Survive Wildfires

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Milne Murray
·
Organization(s)
University of California Los Angeles,
UCLA
Description
Wildfire resistant home checklist from Murray Milne, a professor of architecture at UCLA, who outlines seven steps to take to improve a home's chance of survival during a wildfire.

Developing an Energy Performance Modeling Startup Kit

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Wood Amber
·
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report identifying business models for the remodeling industry that foster remodelers adoption of energy efficiency services.

Directory of Certified Product Performance

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute
·
Organization(s)
AHRI
Description
Online database with efficiency information about residential HVAC systems and commercial refrigeration equipment.

Distribution and Room Air Mixing Risks to Retrofitted Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
·
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Description
Report outlining the issues with using existing ducts with a new low-load HVAC system, which reduces throw at supply registers causing decreased mixing of supply and room air, leading to potential thermal comfort complaints.

DOE Building Energy Codes Program

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Website providing information on U.S. residential and commercial building codes including adoption status.

DOE Steep Slope Calculator

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
ORNL,
DOE
Description
Simple web-based tool allowing homeowners to calculate the potential savings from installing a cool roof.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Program Requirements

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Website listing implementation timelines and links to various versions of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home national program requirements.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Homepage for DOE's Zero Energy Ready Homes program.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
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.

Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioners

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Saver
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Webpage describing the advantages and disadvantages of ductless mini-split air conditioner.

Earth Tubes Exhibit

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Clean Energy Exhibition
·
Organization(s)
Clean Energy Exhibition,
Solar World
Description
Webpage providing details of an experimental earth tube installation at the Clean Energy Exhibition in Georgia.