Library

Guide by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships on how to size heat pumps in a cold climate.

Webpage providing maps and information to assess the particular hazards and risks for an area.

A ENERGY STAR guide on efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems in residential homes.

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.

Webpage providing basic information on various types of heat pumps and their applications in Massachusetts.

Report providing information for HVAC designers, installers, and consumers about air source heat pumps.

Webpage describing federal regulation related to excess flow valves on residential natural gas lines.

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

Guidebook that provides information on earthquake hazards that can damage homes, the design and retrofit of earthquake resistant housing, and how to find more information on earthquake safety.

Article describing how to use radiator inlet orifices optimize two-pipe steam heating systems.

Webpage describing how to locate and manually shut off natural gas service at the meter.

Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more resistant to earthquakes.

Factsheet describing tips for building or renovating with a focus on disaster resistance.

Factsheet outlining the advantages of using heat pumps, which are an efficient way to heat and cool a home.

Webpage providing curriculum with links to presentations and problem sets for teaching an understanding of sizing cold climate heat pumps.

Paper providing a comprehensive overview of HVAC system design considerations and challenges specific to multifamily residential buildings, focusing on optimizing performance and addressing common issues.

Correcting pressure imbalances in your HVAC system can result in a healthier, more efficient home.

ICC-ES Evaluation Report reviewing proprietary steel shear wall panels developed by Simpson Strong-Tie Company to resist vertical and lateral loads in walls resulting from wind or earthquakes.

Article describing excess flow valves installed on gas lines to shut-off natural gas flow to a home in the event that a gas line is severed due to an earthquake, natural disaster, earthquake, etc.

Webpage detailing how to purchase and install the correct shut-off valve for homes in California, including differences between earthquake and excess flow valves and how to install each.

Report showing installers how to attach ducts, pipes, and associated equipment to buildings to minimize earthquake damage.

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.

Website providing a probabilistic map of the expected number of damaging earthquakes around the U.S.

Document from IBHS explaining how to inspect homes for earthquake preparedness and retrofit solutions for homes that have suffered structural damage as a result of earthquakes.

Article describing dozens of ideas on how to retrofit a home so it is more earthquake ready.

Webpage describing how to conserve heat or find alternative heat sources during a power outage to keep one room warm.

Web article describing two options for sizing ductless minisplit heat pumps, including a free HVAC sizing tool.

News article describing the state of the residential battery storage market.

Project discussing buried or encapsulated ducts and their pros and cons.

Report describing the installation and operation of forced-air heating and domestic hot water combi systems in residential homes.

Measure Guideline describing how to assess and carry out the isolation of natural draft combustion appliances from the conditioned spaces of low-rise residential buildings.

This report investigates whether mini-split heat pumps can live up to their potential for one market segment: multifamily retrofits.

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, earthquake, wind, and fire loads, and their combinations for general structural design. This version of the standard was published in the year 2016 and is available in both digital...

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, seismic, and wind loads, and their combinations for general structural design. The current version of this standard was published in the year 2022 and is available in both digital...

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, earthquake, and wind loads, and their combinations for general structural design. This version of the standard was published in the year 2010 and is available in both digital and print...

Report providing a resource that communities can use to identify and evaluate a range of potential mitigation actions for reducing risk to natural hazards and disasters.

Website providing information on tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms and more.

Report updating and expanding on a 2005 study that found, among other things, that every $1 of natural hazard mitigation funded by FEMA between 1993 and 2003 saved the American people an average of $4 in avoided future losses.

Website containing USGS-related publications related to natural hazards.

Report describing the interactions, both positive and negative, between common green building practices and the robustness of residential buildings to withstand natural hazards.

Database compiling extended capacity data for numerous cold climate heat pump manufacturers and models.

Guide for electrical systems design including installation guidance and best practices for flood-prone areas.

Guide for fuel systems design including installation guidance and formulas for calculating loads and buoyancy forces for specifying number, type and capacity of strapping for hold-downs in flood-prone areas.

Standard establishing criteria for levels of health care services or systems based on risk to the patients, staff, or visitors in health care facilities to minimize the hazards of fire, explosion, and electricity.

A website containing a video series by NW Seismic illustrating how a seismic retrofit should be done and ways they are done incorrectly.

A website providing information on the purpose of burners and the components used in burners.

A fact sheet educating the public on the potential hazards and safe use of portable generators.

Website providing guidance on passive heating, cooling, and lighting methods.

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

Article investigating how a linear input/output relationship can be used as a simple model of the performance of a combination hydronic heating system over heating only, DHW only, and combined loads.