Library

Article summarizing for potential homeowners items to check or demand from the builder in designing a home for a cold climate.

Factsheet describing the importance of building enclosures and their impact on energy efficiency.

Article outlining the casuses and solutions for ice dam problems.

Study evaluating opportunities for reducing cooling energy use in a hot dry climate through the use of shading and window options.

Research study describing field testing performed in 32 two-story Florida homes to characterize wind washing failures of the house air and thermal boundary.

Technical report assessing the market for Low-e storm windows based on market data, case studies, and recent experience with weatherization deployment programs.

Book detailing passive cooling methods including airflow methods, evaporative cooling, and earth cooling.

Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.

Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Conference paper making the case that moving ducts to conditioned space saves energy, is practical for production builders (when accompanied by careful pre-planning), and creates significant andmarketable energy savings for homebuyers.

Report about an experimental evaluation has been conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

Report describing the experimentally evaluated potential of a novel residential night cooling concept.

Report presenting the results of a study evaluating retrofit solutions for addressing the effects of wind washing on homes.

Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.

Book describing passive cooling techniques from a technical and academic perspective.

Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

Paper summarizing passive and low-energy cooling systems for buildings.

Report providing information on performance of mortars and concrete containing PCMs.

Manual describing design, detailing, material selection and troubleshooting for plaster, IEFs, and drywall, with information on continuous insulation, air barriers, rain screens, and ratings for fire and sound.

City of Plymouth webpage providing information on the Plymouth Community Center Project.

Data tables on U.S. renewable energy consumption and general trends in the market for renewable energy.

Report proposes high performance duct measures for inclusion in California Title 24 building energy efficiency standards for 2016.

Report describing extensive renovations to a historic home.

Reports describing a mathematical methodology for assessing the seismic performance of buildings.

Article outlining the key issues related to the protection of the building envelope against seismic forces.

High-density sidewall cavity insulation can be a major comfort and savings boost. It saves energy by slowing both conductive and convective losses, but only if the right things are done and done right. This always requires site-specific thinking.

Fact sheet describing building envelope performance measures applicable to residential and small commercial construction.

Tool determining the most economical and efficient photovoltaic array location and position.

Document providing incident solar radiation data and window overhang sizing guidance for multiple locations across the U.S.

California Energy Commission report presenting the concept of cool walls and providing guidelines for their building- and climate-appropriate use to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Handheld solar site analysis tool capturing whole-horizon images for a site and generating shading analysis reports.

Job Process sheet for the manufactured housing industry showing how to split and notch insulation batts to fit around electrical boxes and wiring in a factory production environment.

Standard describing a test method measuring air-leakage rates through a building envelope under controlled pressurization and de-pressurization which was published in the year 2019 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Standard describing two techniques for measuring air leakage rates through a building envelope in buildings that may be configured to a single zone which was published in the year 2022 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Information sheet describing correct application of stucco.

Article providing fundamental information and recommendations for shading windows for energy savings.

Study on the effects of wind, radiation, and pressure on apparent temperature.

Report describing use of the Energy in Modular (EMOD) method to design, produce, and deliver affordable, net-zero energy, low-carbon, and healthier buildings through industrialized (factory) construction of modular buildings; modeling of whole buildings and subassemblies of components, pods, panels...

Study comparing the thermal performance of phase change materials to concrete construction during heat waves.

Document providing an overview of the Thermal Bypass Checklist for the ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes program.

Guide describing details that serve as a visual reference for each of the line items in the Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist.

Webpage providing guidance on the use of thermal mass with passive heating and cooling strategies.

Technical research paper explaining how thermal mass influences heating and cooling energy needs.

Design guide providing technical information regarding building with thermal mass.

Article detailing a case study in which thermal mass was used as part of an overall Net Zero solution for a university building.

Technical report describing the impact of thermal bridging in balcony connections, presenting alternative design strategies, performance analyses, and case studies to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in building envelopes.

Technical conference paper discussing real world experience with Trombe walls.