Library

Webpage from U.S. Department of Energy describing using Earth-Sheltered home building techniques in hot climate zones.

Federal statistics about national energy consumption in residential homes.

Journal article presenting a discussion of the state-of-the- art in electricity management in smart homes, the various enabling technologies that will accelerate this concept, and topics around consumer behavior with respect to energy usage.

This study evaluates the energy, humidity and indoor air quality implications of residential ventilation cooling in all US IECC climate zones.

Research project addressing low-cost options that reduce monthly energy costs and improve the quality of life by enhancing comfort levels in low-income homes.

Website describing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR New Homes and Apartments program with links to builder and homeowner resources.

Document providing a resource to help contractors renovate historic houses, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort.

Research study examining efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in Florida.

Document presenting a simple starting point to determine the most cost-effective Energy Savings Measure Packages (ESMP) for existing homes to achieve 15% and 30% savings in 37 locations across the United States.

This publication provides a set of best practices for improving indoor air quality in conjunction with energy upgrade work in homes.

Technical report describing the enhancement of energy efficiency in existing buildings through a systems approach, assessing airflow-focused retrofits for improved energy savings and indoor air quality, considering factors like air leakage, distribution system dynamics, duct leakage, and ventilation...

ENERGY STAR website providing information about programs, products and energy efficiency information.

Website showing compliance timelines for various versions of the ENERGY STAR Multi-Family New Construciton program requirements with links to national program requirements documents and checklists.

Webpage with links to documents providing the program requirements and checklists for ENERGY STAR Certified Multifamily Homes, national and regional program requirements.

Website showing compliance timelines for various versions of the ENERGY STAR Single-Family New Home program requirements with links to national program requirements documents and checklists.

Webpage with links to documents providing the program requirements and checklists for ENERGY STAR Certified Single-Family New Homes.

This report evaluates the performance of variable-capacity comfort systems, with a focus on inverter-driven, variable-capacity systems, as well as proposed system enhancements.

Research study simulation adapting and applies the general framework described in Building Energy Simulation Test for Existing Homes for self-testing residential building energy model calibration methods.

Report evaluating the accuracy of the regression technique used in 2006 by using the same least-squares regression analysis on data created from hourly energy simulation software.

Report summarizing post-retrofit results for 13 existing homes in a deep energy retrofit pilot program.

Study investigating homeowner measure package choices in the Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program compared to cost-optimal choices determined through Building Energy Optimization (BEopt) modeling software.

Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.

Report about an experimental evaluation conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

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...

Report on the performance of range hood exhaust fans.

Expert meeting on the topic of performance guarantees and financing vehicles for energy efficiency upgrades.

Report presenting the process of a residential retrofit project for houses in the states of Florida and Alabama, including findings at the time of reporting and highlights of the first home to meet the target HERS Index of 70.

Report that demonstrates the durability, constructability, and cost-effectiveness of the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system for new construction housing projects in compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, addressing moisture risk management and high-performance envelope...

Homepage for Extension Foundation, a partner of the Cooperative Extension System, whose goal is providing an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the best land-grant university minds across America.

Fact sheet describing indoor air quality (IAQ), including information on common sources of indoor air pollutants and best practices for improving IAQ.

Webpage from LSU AgCenter answering frequently asked questions after gutting a flooded home, including mitigation strategies for future floods.

FEMA guidance for flood damage in areas prone to flooding.

Report outlining how Smart ventilation controls (SVC) balance energy consumption, comfort, and IAQ by optimizing mechanical ventilation operation to reduce the heating and/or cooling loads, improve management of indoor moisture, and maintain IAQ equivalence according to ASHRAE 62.2.

Report describing a project focused on the use of home energy ratings as a tool to promote energy retrofits in existing homes.

Report describing a simple and general way to generate House Simulation Protocol (HSP)-consistent internal sensible and latent loads in unoccupied homes.

Technical report on a field validation study that utilizes low-cost indoor air quality sensors to assess a smart ventilation system's effectiveness in maintaining acceptable indoor humidity in low-load homes in humid environments, revealing that while the smart ventilation algorithm demonstrated...

ASHRAE Q&A addressing HVAC filtration and disinfection for reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Wildfire construction guidelines from the Colorado State Forest Service focusing on site design and building materials to mitigate damage to homes in wildfire-prone areas.

Website containing resources from the nonprofit FLASH, which "is the country’s leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters."

Guide from Building Science Corporation on how to construct a flood and hurricane resistant home.

Page describing in detail four important actions you should consider to protect your health and indoor air quality (IAQ) when cleaning up after a flood.

Detailed information about Formaldehyde including health effects and strategies to reduce exposure.

Report outlining the energy upgrade package implemented in Ft. Benning, GA, Indianhead Townhomes project and the findings of the Southface Energy Institute's post-renovation analysis.

Animated video demonstrating the continuous load path of a hurricane on a house.

Website describing the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)'s Fortified Home program which offers home builders standards and guidance for constructing and renovating homes for increased disaster resistance.

Checklist providing specific information about the type of residential building eligible for designation consideration in the FORTIFIED Home program.

Conference paper describing how retrofits were used in a Florida home to change it from a high energy user to a near zero-energy home.

Results from a research program testing airtightness, implications of air leakage and contaminant reduction over the garage-to-house interface.

Report describing the cost-effectiveness and performance of all-electric, zero net energy multifamily buildings in California, detailing technical challenges and providing recommendations for design, construction, codes, standards, and operations to support future projects.