Library

Fact sheet describing indoor air quality (IAQ), including information on common sources of indoor air pollutants and best practices for improving IAQ.

A recovery advisory guide presenting important recommendations to reduce wind and water infiltration damage to new and existing residential buildings.

Fact sheet discussing safe room and storm shelter door assemblies along with ICC® 500 compliance.

Article explaining what a continuous load path is and the key connection points that make it up.

Guide discussing the siting of residential and community safe rooms at appropriate elevations and locations.

Fact sheet discussing designs for prefabricated safe rooms built to ICC 500 standards mentioned in FEMA P-361.

ICC 500 provides the minimum requirements to safeguard public health, safety, and general welfare relative to the design, construction, and installation of storm shelters constructed for protection from high winds associated with tornadoes and hurricanes.

Document describing ASCE 24-14 Flood Resistant Design and Construction changes and highlights, on topics including siting, materials, performance, and utilities.

Webpage describing the purpose of safe rooms and criteria necessary to meet FEMA P-361 and P-320 criteria.

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.

Report of a field evaluation of four novel roof designs to see how each design would reduce space-conditioned energy use so that the knowledge gained could be applied to the design of new manufactured homes.

Technical report on a field validation study that utilizes low-cost indoor air quality sensors to assess a smart ventilation system's effectiveness in maintaining acceptable indoor humidity in low-load homes in humid environments, revealing that while the smart ventilation algorithm demonstrated...

ASHRAE Q&A addressing HVAC filtration and disinfection for reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Guidelines from the University of California Cooperative Extension on how fires spread, how homes typically burn, and what homeowners can do to prepare their homes for wildfire season.

Articles, research, case studies, and more outlining considerations for planning and installation of a fire-protection system.

Article describing five fundamental changes to building construction from the last 50 years and their modern construction consequences.

Page describing in detail four important actions you should consider to protect your health and indoor air quality (IAQ) when cleaning up after a flood.

Brochure-guide describing swales and their qualities, including objective, maintenance, and design considerations.

Detailed information about Formaldehyde including health effects and strategies to reduce exposure.

Checklist providing recommendations for the right tape in order to reduce the risk of leaks during storms with wind-driven rain.

Checklist providing prescriptive instructions on how to retrofit ladder framing on gable end overhangs to achieve a maximum depth of 18 in. from the face of the wall.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for Existing Homes.

Website providing resources for roofers to construct high-wind, hurricane, and hail-resistant roofs from IBHS Fortified program.

Checklist providing good and bad methods of fortifying the roof, especially in high wind situations.

Checklist providing good and bad methods of fortifying the roof, especially in hurricanes.

Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind resistance.

Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind and hail resistance.

Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for hurricane resistance.

Website providing technical documents of checklists, calculators, bulletin, modular home toolkit, standard details, and corrosion resistance requirements – map set; describing the requirements of the IBHS Fortified Home program to improve the disaster resistance of new and existing homes.

Article describing a numerical model that can be used to size foundation heat exchanger (FHX) systems.

Website describing wet floodproofing measures to prevent against structural damage, internal damage and damage to electrical components.

Results from a research program testing airtightness, implications of air leakage and contaminant reduction over the garage-to-house interface.

Commercial website providing images to subscribers.

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.

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

Report about opportunities for ventilation when traditional methods are limited by weather conditions or by contaminants in the outdoor air.

Report identifying Building America and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code climate zone designations for every county in the United States; where a county's climate zone designation has changed since the 2018 IECC, that change is indicated as well.

Guide by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships on how to size heat pumps in a cold climate.

Webpage describing how to guard homes and properties against wildfire, as well as what to do during a wildfire, whether sheltering in place or attempting evacuation.

Report about indoor air quality related to indoor mold growth.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance to high wind and hail.

Webpage that describes health problems that can be caused by secondhand smoke.

Document providing guidance about building healthy homes using building science principles.

Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.

Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

Web article about solar site assessment.

A guide that summarizes building materials and design considerations for increasing wildfire-resistivity of homes in areas that are prone to wildfires.

Article describing the impact of stack effect on building performance, highlighting how pressure differences caused by temperature and height affect air infiltration and exfiltration, and detailing strategies like compartmentalization and distributed mechanical systems to manage airflow and maintain...

Information sheet presenting the correct methods for building an insulated cathedral ceiling.