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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 - 46 of 46

A Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution systems with Fan Coil Delivery

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
Backman Christine
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

Air-Source Heat Pumps

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Webpage describing the functionality and benefits of switching to Air Source Heat Pumps, as well as linking to sets of products, rebates, most efficient ASHPs, and providing consumer aid for purchasing an ASHP.

Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump Specification (Version 4.0)

Author(s)
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
Organization(s)
NEEP
Publication Date
Specification defining performance and reporting requirements to meet the voluntary “Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump Specification” (ccASHP Specification) for air source heat pumps suited to heat efficiently in cold climates (IECC cz 4 and higher). This specification can serve as a model equipment...

Cold Climate DHP Specification

Author(s)
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Organization(s)
NEEA
Publication Date
Webpage outlining how to optimize the installations and performance of mini-split heat pump systems. As well, it discusses a set of design considerations for multi-level homes, low load homes, and heat distribution to rooms without a heat source.

Cooling and Heating Season Impacts of Right-Sizing of Fixed- and Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps With Attic and Indoor Ductwork

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R,
Kono Jamie E
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

Directory of Certified Product Performance

Author(s)
Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute
Organization(s)
AHRI
Publication Date
Online database with efficiency information about residential HVAC systems and commercial refrigeration equipment.

Ductless Heat Pump Project

Author(s)
NEEA
Organization(s)
NEEA
Publication Date
Webpage describing the successes and ongoing efforts of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's Go Ductless ductless heat pump program which successfully encouraged the installation of more than 150,000 minisplit heat pumps in the Northwest between 2010 and 2021.

Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump Comfort Evaluation

Author(s)
Roth Kurt,
Sehgal N,
Akers Craig
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research report with results from field tests in two homes in Austin, Texas, from October 2011 to June 2012 to evaluate the comfort performance of ductless mini-split heat pumps

Energy Savers: Geothermal Heat Pumps

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Online reference containing general information about geothermal heat pumps.

Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction of a SEER 21 Heat Pump vs. a SEER 13 Heat Pump with Attic and Indoor Duct Systems

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.

ENERGY STAR® Certified Mini Split Heat Pumps

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Factsheet describing mini split heat pumps and their benefits for consumers.

Feasibility of Foundation Heat Exchangers for Residential Ground Source Heat Pump Systems in the United States

Author(s)
Cullin James R,
Xing Lu,
Lee Edwin,
Spitler Jeffrey D,
Fisher Daniel E
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE,
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Study characterizing how foundation heat exchangers (FHXs) used in residential ground source heat pump systems represent a potential cost savings due to their lesser first cost over other types of heat exchangers.

Field Monitoring Protocol: Mini-Split Heat Pumps

Author(s)
Christensen Dane,
Fang X,
Tomerlin Jeff,
Winkler Jon,
Hancock Ed
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Publication Date
Information sheet with an analysis of mini split heat pump systems.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Key Product Criteria

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Website with information about ENERGY STAR criteria for geothermal heat pumps.

Ground Source Heat Pump Values Rising

Author(s)
Im,
Liu,
Monk
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Publication Date
Website article discussing the economics of ground source heat pumps.

Ground-Source Variable Refrigerant Flow Heat Pumps

Author(s)
Karr Marcia
Organization(s)
Washington State University Extension Energy Program
Publication Date
Factsheet describing the uses and benefits of ground-source heat pumps for affordable housing, assisted living, dorms and hotels.

Heat & Cool Efficiently

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
A ENERGY STAR guide on efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems in residential homes.

Heat Pump Water Heating Modeling in EnergyPlus

Author(s)
Wilson Eric,
Christensen Craig
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Presentation about heat pump water heater modeling using EnergyPlus.

Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling

Author(s)
Town of Concord Massachusetts
Organization(s)
Town of Concord Massachusetts
Publication Date
Webpage providing basic information on various types of heat pumps and their applications in Massachusetts.

Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump

Author(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Organization(s)
Natural Resources Canada
Publication Date
Report providing information for HVAC designers, installers, and consumers about air source heat pumps.

Improved Modeling of Residential Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps for Energy Calculations

Author(s)
Cutler Dylan,
Winkler Jon,
Kruis Neal,
Christensen Craig,
Brandemuehl Michael J
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Colorado,
CU
Publication Date
Report presenting improved air conditioner (AC) and heat pump (HP) modeling methods in the context of whole-building simulation tools.

Improvements in Fan Motor Efficiency Could Yield Big Savings

Author(s)
Holliday,
Martin
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Article in Energy Design Update describing the cost and savings benefits of electronically commutated motors (ECMs) for HVAC equipment.

Low-Cost Solar Water Heating Research and Development Roadmap

Author(s)
Hudon Kate,
Merrigan Tim,
Burch Jay,
Maguire Jeff
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report identifying the target market for solar water heaters and potential pathways and cost/performance targets that must be met for these systems to realize large energy savings.

Measure Guideline: Heat Pump Water Heaters in New and Existing Homes

Author(s)
Shapiro,
Puttagunta,
Owens
Organization(s)
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Document with evaluation of 14 heat pump water heaters (including three recently released HPWH products) installed in existing homes in the northeast region of the United States.

Mini-Split Heat Pumps Multifamily Retrofit Feasibility Study

Author(s)
Dentz,
Podorson,
Varshney
Organization(s)
ARIES,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Levy Partnership
Publication Date
This report investigates whether mini-split heat pumps can live up to their potential for one market segment: multifamily retrofits.

Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Webpage describing a DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge. The challenge engages industry partners and focuses around the Cold Climate Heat Pumps, a more environmental and efficient heating alternative to traditional heating.

Residential Ground Source Heat Pump Systems Utilizing Foundation Heat Exchangers

Author(s)
Spitler Jeffrey D,
Xing Lu,
Cullin James R,
Fisher Daniel E,
Shonder John,
Im Piljae
Organization(s)
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Paper covering a parametric study of foundation heat exchanger-based ground source heat pump systems for several house configurations in a range of European locations, with an emphasis on determining feasible combinations.

Review of Residential Comfort Control Products and Opportunities

Author(s)
Metzger Cheryn E,
Goyal Siddharth,
Baechler Michael C
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
This research paper outlines residential HVAC advanced controls and sensors. It includes a technology review, applications, maintenance and commissioning, occupant behavior and a summary of the state-of-the-art technologies for advanced controls for residential HVAC.

Strategy Guideline: HVAC Equipment Sizing

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report describing the equipment selection of a split system air conditioner and furnace for an example house in Chicago, Illinois, as well as a heat pump system for an example house in Orlando, Florida.

Strategy Guideline: Proper Water Heater Selection

Author(s)
Hoeschele,
Springer,
German,
Staller,
Zhang
Organization(s)
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Report about proper water heater selection developed to provide step-by-step procedures for evaluating preferred cost-effective options for energy efficient water heater alternatives based on local utility rates, climate, and anticipated loads.

Systems Evaluation at the Cool Energy House

Author(s)
Williamson,
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report providing performance results of a home's heat pump water heater and whole-house dehumidifier over a six-month period.

Technical Highlight: NREL Delivers In-Home HVAC Efficiency Testing Solutions

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Document on the development of two simple in-home efficiency test methods that can be used by technicians, researchers, or interested homeowners to verify the correct operation and energy efficiency of a homes air conditioning and heating equipment.