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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 - 16 of 16

Bay Ridge Gardens - Mixed Humid Affordable Multifamily Housing Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Lyons James,
Moore Mike,
Thompson Margo
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Newport Ventures,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, utility bill data analysis, and results of on-site monitoring of a deep energy retrofit.

Building Science Education: Heat Pump Water Heater Training Module

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Training module describing the operation, efficiency, consumer and seller benefits, and cost comparison of Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) against conventional gas, oil, or electric water heaters.

Central Heat Pump Water Heater Design Guide

Author(s)
Ecotope
Organization(s)
Energy Trust of Oregon
Publication Date
Design guide providing solutions and tools for designing central heat pump water heater systems in multifamily and other commercial buildings.

Evaluation of Unitary Heat Pump Water Heaters with Load-Shifting Controls in a Shared Multifamily Configuration

Author(s)
Hoeschele Marc,
Haile James,
Grant Peter
Organization(s)
Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
PG&E,
Energy Transition Coordinating Council,
ETCC
Publication Date
Report describing the performance, cost, and carbon impacts of unitary heat pump water heaters with load-shifting controls in a shared configuration for a multi-family project, highlighting significant savings in energy usage, CO2 emissions, and utility costs.

Heat Pump Water Heater Model Validation Study

Author(s)
Ecotope,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Organization(s)
Ecotope,
NEEA
Publication Date
Report describing the significant potential for energy use reductions through heat pump water heaters, which have been a crucial part of Northwest power plans for decades and have recently achieved substantial savings with new integrated models and climate specifications.

Interaction between Heat Pump Water Heaters or Other Internal Point Source Loads and a Central Heating System

Author(s)
Widder Sarah H,
Metzger Cheryn E,
McIntosh Joshua A,
Petersen Joseph M
Organization(s)
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Report describing the objective evaluation of space conditioning interactions between heat pump water heaters and home heating systems during winter 2016-2017, revealing a smaller than anticipated impact on space conditioning loads.

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.

Multifamily Heat Pump Water Heater Evaluation

Author(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
ARBI,
NREL
Publication Date
Study in which a central heat pump water heater system was monitored in detail and used to create a model for assessing similar systems in various climates.

Plug-In Heat Pump Water Heater Field Study Findings & Market Commercialization Recommendations

Author(s)
Khanolkar Amruta,
Egolf Mischa,
Gabriel Noah
Organization(s)
New Buildings Institute,
NBI
Publication Date
Report describing the key findings from the first third-party field validation of 120-volt heat pump water heater (HPWH) technology, addressing the significant barriers to their adoption and emphasizing their potential role in reducing carbon emissions from residential water heating.

Residential Ground Source Heat Pumps with Integrated Domestic Hot Water Generation: Performance Results from Long-Term Monitoring

Author(s)
Stecher Dave,
Allison Katherine
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Report discussing instrumentation methods and field operation characteristics of two GSHPs in test houses, including a comparison between the manufacturers listed COP values and the COPs calculated from field data.

Sizing a New Water Heater

Author(s)
US Department of Energy
Organization(s)
U.S. DOE
Publication Date
Information sheet describing how to select a properly sized water heater based on household usage patterns, peak demand, and heater type—whether tankless, solar, or storage-based—to ensure efficiency and adequate hot water supply.

Strategy Guideline: Proper Water Heater Selection

Author(s)
Staller J,
Springer David,
German Alea,
Hoeschele Marc,
Zhang Y
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
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.

Understanding HPWH Interaction with Space Conditioning Systems in the Field

Author(s)
Larson Ben
Organization(s)
Ecotope,
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy,
ACEEE
Publication Date
Presentation report detailing Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) interaction with space conditioning systems in real-life test scenarios that explains some of the problems arising from these interaction and information that can be used to make the system more efficient.