Library

Guide describing retrofit procedures for gable end roofs.

Guide describing how and where to install flashings in order to weatherproof a roof.

Brochure on specifications for PV systems.

Commercial website providing images to subscribers.

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

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.

Report describing the use of fresh air ventilation systems to eliminate the formation of icicles and ice dams along the eaves of roofs.

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

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

LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

LBNL webpage providing resources and tools related to cool technologies, including the SRI calculator and the DOE Cool Roof Calculator.

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

Best Practices document providing an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices.

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

Report containing 37 fact sheets that provide technical guidance and recommendations concerning the construction of coastal residential buildings.

Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.

Article describing the causes that form ice dams, as well as solutions for preventing future ice dams on roofs, focusing on air sealing to prevent hot air leakage.

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 from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

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

Article from Washington Post on passive cooling measures for homes during extreme heat.

Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

Checklist for verifying FORTIFIED levels and documentation needed.

A structural insulated panel (SIP) roof has no embedded lumber in the structure, and therefore nothing substantial for attaching PV array and solar hot water mounts. Single or double lumber splines could be put into the panels, or I-joists at 4-foot intervals could be added.

Report describing the identification of barriers and proposed practical solutions for the design, installation, and market adoption of heat pump water heaters in new low-rise multifamily housing, focusing on studio and one-bedroom units.

Code describing the requirements for existing site-built single-family homes to receive roof-to-wall retrofits when re-roofing.

A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.

Article outlining the casuses and solutions for ice dam problems.

Report on on lessons learned from building one multifamily home to the Zero Energy Ready Home program requirements.

Article describing the effect metal roofs have on thermal performance in hot-humid climates.

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

Report discussing the importance of durability and energy efficiency in building construction.

Article describing the second step of a three-step process for the installation a tubular skylight, using peel-and-stick flashing tape instead of roof cement, and integrating the roof underlayment with the flashing.

Article describing how to counterflash a chimney by tucking the upper pieces of counterflashing into the chimney mortar joints and overlapping them over the various pieces of base flashing, which are nailed to the roof deck.

Article describing methods for designing and constructing multifamily buildings with insulating concrete forms (ICFs).

Article describing the insurance savings of a home with a hip roof versus a gable roof from the perspective of an insurance advisor.

Guide describing the use of a collaborative, multidisciplinary process that considers and optimizes the building as an entire system including its technical equipment and surroundings for efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective construction and operation over the building’s entire lifespan.

Article describing how the configuration of surrounding buildings affects the wind loads on a hip roof in a low-rise building.

Report describing as-found interior platform return plenums, the magnitude of their contribution to the total amount of duct leakage, and techniques and results of retrofits executed by the HVAC trade during equipment replacement.

Report discussing how to create livable space in the attic that meets IRC code requirements by either creating a ventilated roof assembly, or and unvented attic assembly.

Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more hurricane resistant.

Article showing steps for kick out flashing at roof-wall intersection.

Article describing a technique for installing a skylight and avoiding potential water leaks with the use of a peel-and-stick (or self-adhesive) membrane under the flashing.

Website explaining the LEED v4.1 program and providing a portal for those who want to investigate or start a LEED project.

Web article describing many ways homeowners, contractors, and builders can make homes more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, and hail.

Fact sheet describing important roof-to-wall and wall-to-foundation connection details for masonry construction in coastal areas, including load paths, building materials, and reinforcement; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Article describing the flashing of roofs and what to look for, targeted at home inspectors.