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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 1 - 30 of 30

AHAM Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

Author(s)
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Organization(s)
AHAM
Publication Date
Website providing research, efficiency and safety standards development, and advocacy to the home appliance industry to bring efficient, high-performing home appliances to consumers.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2010 - Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings

Author(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Organization(s)
ASHRAE,
American National Standards Institute,
ANSI
Publication Date
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 2010, and is available for...

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2013 - Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings

Author(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Organization(s)
ASHRAE,
American National Standards Institute,
ANSI
Publication Date
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 2013, and is available for...

ASTM E3087-18: Standard Test Method for Measuring Capture Efficiency of Domestic Range Hoods

Author(s)
ASTM International
Organization(s)
ASTM
Publication Date
Test method that measures the capture efficiency of wall-mounted domestic range hoods under controlled conditions in a test chamber. The current version of this standard is available for preview and purchase at the link and was published in the year 2018. A previous version of this standard is...

Ceiling Fan Basics

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
ENRGY STAR webpage discussing the basics of certified ceiling fans.

Certified Home Ventilating Products Directory

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Website providing an online directory of more than 3,600 residential ventilation products lisiting flowrates, sones, watts, and other performance metrics; all listed products have been tested by the Home Ventilating Institute.

Code Notes: Residential Fan Efficiency

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
IECC code note explaining new fan efficacy requirements, along with how to determine which fans are affected by the new fan requirements.

Cool Solutions: The Whole House Fan

Author(s)
Mott-Smith John
Organization(s)
City of Davis California
Publication Date
Article describing the use of whole-house fans to provide cooling in the region surrounding Sacramento, CA.

Cooling with Ventilation

Author(s)
Chandra Subrato,
Fairey III Philip W,
Houston Michael M
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report providing recommendations to builders regarding how to reduce cooling loads, use air-circulation fans, natural ventilation, window and building design for natural ventilation, and whole-house fans.

Designing Houses That Keep Their Cool

Author(s)
Wilson Alex
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Article from Green Building Advisor on strategies to take when building homes to reduce the need for air conditioning, including insulation, windows, site selection, and roofing.

ECM Motors: An Energy Saving Opportunity

Author(s)
National Institute of Health Division of Technical Resources
Organization(s)
National Institute of Health
Publication Date
Bulletin describing the components of ECM motors and comparing their efficiency with PSC motors.

ENERGY STAR Ventilation Fans

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
ENERGY STAR overview on certified ventilation fans.

Evaluating Moisture Control of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps in Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes in Climate Zone 2A

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Withers Charles,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Chasar Dave,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
This report evaluates the performance of variable-capacity comfort systems, with a focus on inverter-driven, variable-capacity systems, as well as proposed system enhancements.

Evaluation of Retrofit Variable-Speed Furnace Fan Motors

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.

Fans, Ventilating for Consumers

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
DOE,
EPA
Publication Date
Information sheet about the benefits of purchasing and installing ENERGY STAR rated fans and ventilation products.

Home Ventilating Institute

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website providing certified rating programs to help manufacturers, builders, contractors and homeowners compare performance of ventilation products for air flow, sound, and other performance characteristics.

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

HVI Airflow Test Procedure

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

Indoor Air Pollution from Cooking

Author(s)
California Air Resources Board
Organization(s)
CARB,
California Environmental Protection Agency,
CalEPA
Publication Date
Article describing ways home owners can improve ventilation in their kitchens.

Measure Guideline: Ventilation Cooling

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
German Alea
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Guideline that provides information on properly applying, designing, and installing mechanical ventilation cooling systems for homes located in located in hot-dry and cold-dry climates, as well as a means of understanding the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of these systems.

Night Ventilation Cooling Compliance Option

Author(s)
California Statewide Utility Codes and Standards Program
Organization(s)
California Public Utilities Commission,
CPUC
Publication Date
Document describing recommended modeling rules, potential compliance credits, and eligibility criteria for residential night ventilation cooling systems for California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards.

The Corsi-Rosenthal Box

Author(s)
Roberta Burnes
Organization(s)
Kentucky Department of Air Quality
Publication Date
Presentation describing how to make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box for air cleaning.

The Impacts of Cooking and an Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Colorado Passive and Tightly Constructed Homes

Author(s)
Militello-Hourigan,
Ryan Edward,
Shelly L Miller
Organization(s)
University of Colorado-Boulder
Publication Date
Article describing a field study that test ventilation performance in nine homes and found current ventilation was inadequate to remove PM2.5 and CO2 levels; however, a directly exhausting range hood can reduce peak PM2.5 concentrations by 75% or more.

Whole House Fan Technology Fact Sheet

Author(s)
Southface Energy Institute,
ORNL
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Brochure about how to install and use a whole-house fan.