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Library

Explore this extensive library of building science guidance including research reports from DOE’s Building America program as well as hundreds of other articles, fact sheets, webpages, and reference documents related to constructing and renovating homes.

Showing 1 - 17 of 17 results:

About Attic Ventilation

Publication Date
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Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
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Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.

AC Comfort

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
AC Comfort
·
Organization(s)
AC Comfort
Description
Website containing commercial information related to air conditioning and heating.

Cool Roofs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Webpage from U.S. Department of Energy describing 'cool roofs' and their usage for passive home cooling.

Development and Validation of Algorithms That Analyze Communicating Thermostat Data to Identify Enclosure Retrofit Opportunities

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Zeifman Michael,
Roth Kurt
·
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Technical report describing algorithms that use communicating thermostat heating data and that were developed to optimize customer adoption of energy conservation measures, enhancing the identification of retrofit opportunities, estimating post-retrofit energy savings, and enabling home-specific...

ECA HVAC Units

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program,
et al.
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Organization(s)
NEHRP,
FEMA,
Cal OES,
SCEC,
ECA
Description
Factsheet describing methods for securing HVAC units to avoid damage during an earthquake.

Evaporative Coolers

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Article describing how evaporative coolers work and how to maintain them.

Evaporative Coolers: General History of the Evaporative Cooler

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Pima County Public Library
·
Organization(s)
Pima County Public Library
Description
Web article describing the evolution of evaporative coolers, water usage of evaporative coolers, and links to information on selecting an evaporative cooler.

FORTIFIED Home Re-Roofing Checklist - High Wind

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind resistance.

FORTIFIED Home Re-Roofing Checklist - Hurricane

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for hurricane resistance.

Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump

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

HVAC Sizing Tool

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
BetterBuilt Northwest,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
·
Organization(s)
BetterBuiltNW,
NEEA
Description
Software tool available free online that can help calculate heating and cooling requirements to accurately size HVAC equipment in as little as 15 minutes.

Room Air Conditioners

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Saver,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Web page providing an overview of room-level air conditioning systems such as window units and mini-splits.

Understanding HPWH Interaction with Space Conditioning Systems in the Field

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Larson Ben
·
Organization(s)
Ecotope,
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy,
ACEEE
Description
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.

Using Cool Roofs to Reduce Heat Islands

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
Webpage describing the use of cool roofs to reduce heat islands and and benefits and costs.

Wildfire-Resistant Buildings

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Journal of Light Construction
·
Organization(s)
JLC
Description
Article describing ways to design and construct a building to resist wildfires.