Library

Fact sheet describing a report providing best practices for reducing damages from floods to manufactured homes.

Fact sheet providing an overview of the FEMA document Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings.

A supplement to the 2012 Florida Building Code on energy efficiency and conservation.

Guide providing engineering seismic design and building practices based on post-earthquake research.

Web page describing essential guidelines and recommendations for optimal installation of ductless heat pumps in cold climates, ensuring maximum heating performance and long-term satisfaction for homeowners, supported by research-backed insights and detailed resources.

Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

Report describing an air distribution system composed of a series of uniformly-sized ducts that terminate in rooms throughout the home and return to a central manifold, similar in fashion to a “home-run” cross-linked polyethylene plumbing system.

Standard outlining industry procedure for sizing residential duct systems.

Standard providing guidance on how to select, size, and locate the supply air diffusers, grilles and registers, and the return grilles.

Technical manual from ACCA outlining correct methods for zoning of residential HVAC systems.

Fact sheet describing best strategies to bring ductwork on single-story homes with a slab-on-grade foundation in hot, dry climates into the conditioned envelope of the home intending to highlight the pros and cons of multiple ductwork integration strategies, including traditional duct systems in...

Standard for use and reference by designers, architects, engineers, contractors, installers and users for evaluating, selecting, specifying and properly installing flexible duct in heating and air conditioning systems.

Document providing guideance and considerations for duct design in an energy efficient house.

Report describing two retrofit duct sealing techniques - manually-applied sealants and injecting a spray sealant, that were implemented in several low-rise multi-unit buildings in North Carolina.

Fact sheet describing air-sealing concerns and remedies, including HRV/ERV installation, caulking, spray foam, and weatherstrip installation.

Article describing how an airtight home shell helps achieve a tight envelope that is energy efficient and cost effective.

Report summarizing systems research activities for new housing in hot-humid climates, including NightCool, interior duct systems in manufactured housing, ventilation and dehumidification, plug load reduction and solar and conventional hot water.

This ANSI/RESNET/ICC standard provides a consistent, uniform methodology for evaluating the airtightness of building, dwelling unit, and sleeping unit enclosures and heating and cooling air distribution systems, and the air flows of mechanical ventilation systems.

Standard covering updates to the expected leakage rates for ductwork constructed to the SMACNA HVAC Duct Construction Standards—Metal & Flexible, duct leakage test procedures; includes recommendations on use of leakage testing, types of test apparatus, and test setup and sample leakage analysis.

ASTM standard providing test methods for determining duct air leakage in low-rise residential and commercial buildings.

Standard establishing test methods for determining air leakage in duct systems using fan pressurization in low-rise residential and commercial buildings.

Report describing approaches to insulating basements in homes built to meet Energy Star levels of performance of heat loss reduction.

Article from California Earthquake Authority on the benefits of retrofitting homes to withstand earthquake forces, with a focus on foundations, walls, and chimneys.

Brochure intended to provide readers with a working knowledge of residential heating and cooling duct systems.

Brochure with details on HVAC duct air sealing.

Brochure with information about ducts in conditioned space.

Information sheet about insulating slabs.

Report describing the recommended best practices to achieve energy savings without compromising health or safety.

Case study about Artistic Homes of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the first home builder in the United States to offer true net zero energy construction to the average home buyer on every home it builds.

Document describing the Building America research benchmark for the residential building program.

Article describing the control layers (air, thermal, and vapor barriers) needed to build homes successfully in very cold locations.

Training manual on how to locate ducts within conditioned space and compact design.

Report about the fundamental concepts that must be understood at the planning or initial nspection of existing homes regarding surface and ground water management.

Reference investigating the strategy of using buried and/or encapsulated ducts to reduce duct thermal losses in residential buildings.

Article describing correct ways to eliminate water damage by incorporating a sacrificial layer to foundation walls and footings.

Report about City of Meriden Housing Authority's (MHA) collaboration with Jonathon Rose Companies to complete a gut renovation of 126 residential units in the Chamberlain Heights retrofit project.

Manual showing duct cleaning contractors how to identify the different types of insulated air ducts, how to open each type for access by cleaning equipment and personnel, how to close and seal openings after cleaning.

Report aimed to quantify the impact of closed crawlspaces in new homes, and investigate modeling software to ensure accuracy of energy consumption predictions in these homes.

Guide about designing and installing closed crawlspaces in the Southeast.

Volume 1 of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, and risk management for homes constructed in coastal environments.

Website discussing building foundation problems caused by settling soil in Colorado.

Report summarizing one year of monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness of a space conditioning system at maintaining temperature and relative humidity levels in a test home, as well as room-to-room differences and the actual measured energy consumption by the space conditioning system.

Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.

Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.

Document discussing moisture considerations and testing techniques for concrete floors.

Report covering insulating crawlspaces.

Article describing the process of constructing concrete walls

Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

Report providing guidance on designing buildings to be flood resistant.