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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 - 23 of 23

Distribution and Room Air Mixing Risks to Retrofitted Homes

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
Report outlining the issues with using existing ducts with a new low-load HVAC system, which reduces throw at supply registers causing decreased mixing of supply and room air, leading to potential thermal comfort complaints.

Duct System Flammability and Air Sealing Fire Separation Assemblies in the International Residential Code

Author(s)
Prahl Duncan,
Rudd Armin
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report identifying two barriers that limit the ability of builders to explore opportunities for higher levels of energy efficiency in housing: the use of duct system materials that inherently achieve airtightness and are right-sized for low-load houses, and, the ability to air seal fire separation...

Retrofitting PSC Motors with ECMs

Author(s)
Anesi Jen
Organization(s)
Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration News,
ACHR News
Publication Date
Article describing how replacing permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors with electronically commutated motors (ECM) can boost bottom line for HVAC contractors as well as improve customer comfort and satisfaction.

Residential Mechanical Precooling

Author(s)
German Alea,
Hoeschele Marc
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Report evaluating mechanical AC precooling strategies in homes as a method for improving the load factor by shifting cooling operation from on-peak to off-peak hours.

Sensitivity Analysis of Installation Faults on Heat Pump Performance

Author(s)
Piotr Domanski,
Hugh Henderson,
Payne W Vance
Organization(s)
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
NIST
Publication Date
Technical study exploring the impact of different installation faults on heat pump performance in a single-family house.

Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
Maxwell Sean,
Berger David,
Zuluaga Marc
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing research that helps inform best practices for air-sealing multifamily buildings in the Northeast.

Method of Test for Determining the Design and Seasonal Efficiencies of Residential Thermal Distribution Systems, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 152-2014

Author(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
American National Standards Institute
Organization(s)
ASHRAE,
ANSI
Publication Date
Standard that prescribes a testing method to determine the efficiency of space heating and/or cooling thermal distribution systems under seasonal and design conditions. This version of the standard was published in the year 2014, and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link. The...

Investigation of Potential Benefits of Revising Exception 1 under “FLORIDA BUILDING CODE, ENERGY CONSERVATION, Section 101.4.7.1.1 Duct Sealing upon Equipment Replacement.”

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report describing as-found interior platform return plenums, the magnitude of their contribution to the total amount of duct leakage, and techniques and results of retrofits executed by the HVAC trade during equipment replacement.

Evaporative Coolers

Author(s)
NORESCO
Organization(s)
NORESCO
Publication Date
Article describing RESNET guidance on evaporative coolers.

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.

Impact of Residential Mechanical Ventilation on Energy Cost and Humidity Control

Author(s)
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
The study described in this white paper is based on building energy modeling with an important focus on the indoor humidity impacts of ventilation.

HVAC Duct Supports, AC 284

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
Standards criteria supporting ICC HVAC duct support standards.

Air Distribution Retrofit Strategies for Affordable Housing

Author(s)
Dentz Jordan,
Conlin Francis,
Holloway Parker,
Podorson David,
Varshney Kapil
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing two retrofit duct sealing techniques - manually-applied sealants and injecting a spray sealant, that were implemented in several low-rise multi-unit buildings in North Carolina.

Measure Guideline: Condensing Boilers - Optimizing Efficiency and Response Time During Setback Operation

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report providing step-by-step instructions for heating contractors and hydronic designers for selecting the proper control settings to maximize system performance and improve response time when using a thermostat setback.

Measure Guideline: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
This document addresses adding—or improving—mechanical ventilation systems to existing homes. The purpose of ventilation is to remove contaminants from homes either directly or by dilution. This report discusses where, when, and how much ventilation is appropriate in a home, including some...

Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Building

Author(s)
Maxwell Sean,
Berger David,
Zaluga M
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Technical report describing the evaluation of four different ventilation strategies for providing make-up air in high-performance, new construction multifamily buildings in the Northeast, emphasizing the challenges posed by increasing airtightness standards and the variability of system performance...

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,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.