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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 1 - 50 of 264 results:

2015 Fortified Home High Wind Technical Summary

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for New Homes.

2015 I-Codes: Summary of Changes to Flood Provisions

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Fact sheet summarizing the changes to the flood provisions in the 2012 I-Codes that appear in the 2015 edition.

2017 Florida Building Code – Building, Sixth Edition

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
International Code Council,
Florida Building Commission
·
Organization(s)
ICC,
FBC
Description
Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

2019 Fortified Home New Construction Hurricane Technical Summary

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
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 New Homes.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set High Wind

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set Hurricane

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates, Volume 9

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report providing builders in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Wildfires

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
McGuigan Connor
·
Organization(s)
Sierra Club
Description
Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.

A Crash Course in Roof Venting, PA-1101

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article describing methods for venting a vented attic and a roof assembly over an unvented attic.

A Practical Guide to Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Global Cool Cities Alliance,
R20 Regions of Climate Action
·
Organization(s)
GCCA,
R20
Description
Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.

About Attic Ventilation

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.

AC Coupled for Blackout Protection? No Thanks

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Soltaro
·
Organization(s)
Soltaro
Description
Website article comparing DC and AC batteries and explaining that DC batteries have black start ability to restart from solar power while providing AC batteries need grid power to restart if fully discharged.

AC vs. DC Coupling Energy Storage Systems

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Miller Lucas
·
Organization(s)
Mayfield Renewables
Description
Website article describing the advantages and disadvantages of AC and DC battery energy storage systems and inverters for solar power systems.

Advanced Power Strip Research Report

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Koser Kelly,
Uthe Carl
·
Organization(s)
NYSERDA
Description
Report investigating implemention of advanced power strips for entertainment and home office electronics would reduce energy consumption across the residential market.

Alaska Residential Building Manual, 7th Edition

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Deer Charlie,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
University of Alaska,
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
Description
Manual describing best practices or home construction in Alaska and northern climates.

APA Building for High Wind Resistance in Light-Frame Wood Construction

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
·
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Description
A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

ASCE Ground Snow Loads

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Wilkerson
·
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Description
Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.

Asphalt Shingle Roofing for High-Wind Regions, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 7.3

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Assessing the Business Case for Hosting Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in New York State

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Nigro Nick,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Atlas Public Policy,
NYSERDA,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Description
Report describing the business case of hosting a Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging station in New York, including analysis of real-world data on equipment use, costs, revenue, and assumptions derived from industry reports and original research.

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages, BA-1205

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Neuhauser Ken
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Attic Retrofits Using Nail-Base Insulated Panels

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Mallay David,
Kochkin Vladimir
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Description
This report outlines research activities that are expected to facilitate the adoption of energy retrofits by remodeling contractors and roofing contractors using retrofit panels which applicable to many existing house designs in most climates and markets.

Avoiding Moisture Problems

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Van der Meer Bill
·
Organization(s)
National Association for State Community Services Programs,
NASCSP,
Weatherization Training Center at Penn College,
Pennsylvania College of Technology,
PCT
Description
Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Comparison

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Clean Energy Reviews
·
Organization(s)
CER
Description
Website providing comparison charts and reviews of battery energy storage systems for solar power systems.

Bay Area Seismic Retrofit

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Bay Area Retrofit
Description
YouTube channel featuring 90+ videos to educate Bay Area homeowners and contractors about seismic retrofitting, including information for various home and construction types.

Builder's Guide to Hot-Humid Climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
The Builder's Guide provides the building industry with the latest and best practical information on how to apply building science principles to structures as systems in hot-humid climate regions.

Building in Extreme Cold, BSI-031

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article describing the control layers (air, thermal, and vapor barriers) needed to build homes successfully in very cold locations.

CFL Glossary

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A website describing a list of common vocabulary used when describing light bulbs.

Chimney Failure Most Common Damage In An Earthquake

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Tucker Jill
·
Organization(s)
SFGate
Description
News article from SFGate explaining and giving figures on how chimney failure is the most common type of damage to homes during an earthquake.

Choose A Light Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A simple three-step guide for homeowners who are looking to replace existing light bulbs with more energy-efficient, higher-performing bulbs.

Color and Mood

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A website explaining the various shades of light, from warm to cool colors, with a visual diagram illustrating the various shades of light.

Concrete and Clay Tile - Installation Manual

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Tile Roofing Institute,
Western States Roofing Contractors Association
·
Organization(s)
TRI,
WSRCA
Description
Installation manual outlining proper installation practices, industry standards and the code requirements of roofing tiles.

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.