Library

Fact sheet defining a grid-interactive efficient building and its benefits.

Website highlighting the DOE Building Technologies Office Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Initiative, including technical reports, other publications, resources, and presentations.

Report evaluating HVAC building technologies based on their ability to provide grid services and the type of value provided, including efficiency, load shed, load shift, and modulation.

Report providing an introduction to core concepts of GEBs, and explaining how flexible building loads can be integrated and controlled to benefit consumers, the grid, and society more broadly.

Calculator designed to assist in determining what kind of charger to get, estimating the minimum charger speed needed for expected daily driving - which may only require a home outlet.

Report presenting construction methods, building products, appliances and equipment of four single-family houses that achieve dramatic energy reductions and approach “net zero energy” use.

Report providing the results of an analysis of humidity control and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system efficiency in three new multifamily buildings in New York, NY.

Website providing comparison charts and reviews of hybrid inverters for solar power systems.

Document describing guidance on installing electric vehicle chargers at single-family and multifamily homes.

A website explaining the basics of LED lightning, their lifespan, their use in general lighting applications, the amount of heat produced, and why you should choose ENERGY STAR certified LED products for your home.

Report describing the costs of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States.

A website explaining why homeowners should install ENERGY STAR certified lightbulbs, which helps to save homeowners on utility bills and protect the environment.

A website explaining basic lighting principles and terms & how they are applied to the home.

Report on whole-house and spot ventilation strategies for improved indoor air quality.

Report on the long-term performance of mini-split heat pumps.

Report providing step-by-step instructions for heating contractors and hydronic designers for selecting the proper control settings to maximize system performance and improve response time when using a thermostat setback.

Guide describing proper application, design, and installation of mechanical ventilation cooling systems for homes located in hot-dry and cold-dry climates, as well as a means of understanding the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of these systems.

Web resource that lays out the pre-work considerations, methods and finishes for installing mechanical insulation.

Webpage for the CEC’s Modern Appliance Efficiency Database System

List of appliance brands and models, showing their performance and efficiency as tested by the appropriate standard.

Website providing comparison charts and reviews of off-grid inverters for solar power systems.

Document describing helpful information for hosts of public electric vehicle charging stations.

Document describing automated load management systems (ALMS) for electric vehicle charging stations.

Guide describing flood protection measures for utility systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fuel.

Report describing methods for reducing the cost of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Report identifying efficient, connected, smart, and flexible GEB technologies and their future potential, including barriers and opportunities, recommendations for policymakers, and research needs.

Report evaluating mechanical AC precooling strategies in homes as a method for improving the load factor by shifting cooling operation from on-peak to off-peak hours.

Article describing how replacing permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors with electronically commutated motors (ECM) can boost bottom line for HVAC contractors as well as improve customer comfort and satisfaction.

A website calculator that can calculate how much you can save by switching to ENERGY STAR certified products.

Web page describing the basics of how to size and build a battery bank for electricity storage.

A website discussing the use of consumer-grade small electric wind systems such as turbines to lower energy costs.

Website article describing the way solar panels are coupled to AC and DC battery energy storage systems.

Standard that defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential buildings. This version of the standard was published in the year 2016, and is available for...

Report describing information on automatic load management systems (ALMS) for electric vehicle charging.

Paper that illustrates a performance check between the thermal performance of a Massive Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall system mocked up and Whole Building Performance criteria such as total space heating and cooling loads (thermal comfort).

Guide from Energy Star on smart thermostats and offering some guidance for choosing one.

Report on a project conducted to better understand the current usage of thermostatic radiator valves by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old thermostatic radiator valves as a means of controlling space temperatures...

Webpage describing methods to save energy at home, including turning down your water heater set point, scheduling your HVAC system, adding or fixing weatherstripping, and changing HVAC system filters, among other tips.

Tool designed to find utility partners that can help with the installation of EV chargers.

Documents describing Flood Resistant Provisions of codes published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officers (IAPMO): the Uniform Mechanical Code; Uniform Plumbing Code; Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code; and Uniform Solar, Hydronics and Geothermal Code (Uniform...

Fact sheet describing the results of an analysis of humidity control and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system efficiency in three new multifamily buildings in New York, NY.

Report describing the best practices that were observed during installations of electric vehicle chargers for residential homes.

Factsheet describing the importance of system charging, superheat and subcooling.

Article describing the capabilities of a Tesla Powerwall and its capacity to be used during a power outage.