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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 151 - 200 of 380 results:

Foam Shrinks, and Other Lessons, PA-1201

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.

Foil Bubble Pack: Subslab Insulation?

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Fulger Don
·
Organization(s)
Home Energy
Description
Article describing the effective R-values of various subslab insulation products, including foil bubble pack.

Forest Home Sites Influence Heating and Cooling Energy

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
DeWalle David,
Heisler Gordon,
Jacobs Robert
·
Organization(s)
Northumberland County Conservation District,
Society of American Foresters
Description
Journal article describing energy impacts from shade trees and forests and solar heating and air infiltration.

Fort Benning Indianhead Townhome Renovations

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Stephenson R,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Southface Energy Institute,
SEI
Description
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.

Fort Devens: Cold Climate, Energy-Efficient, Market-Rate Townhomes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Zoeller William,
Grab Joanna,
Slattery Matt
·
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

Foundation Design Handbook

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Carmody John,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
University of Minnesota
Description
Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.

Freeze Protection for CPVC Fire Sprinkler Piping Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
·
Organization(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
Description
A guideline containing fire sprinkler insulation requirements from the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Williams Randy
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Description
Article describing what the building codes say about frost-protected shallow foundations as a cost-saving alternative to conventional concrete foundations.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations 1

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Holladay Martin
·
Organization(s)
Fine Homebuilding
Description
Guides describing frost-protected shallow foundations as an alternative method for building an energy-efficient foundation for a house in a cold climate that uses less concrete and saves on labor.

Great Fire of London, BSI–098

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Report covering the fire performance of combustible cladding over combustible insulation.

Heat Island Effect

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
EPA webpage explaining the heat island effect and providing links to related content.

Heat Island Group - Berkeley Lab

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Heat Island Group,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

Heat Island Group: Resources

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Heat Island Group,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
LBNL webpage providing resources and tools related to cool technologies, including the SRI calculator and the DOE Cool Roof Calculator.

Heat.gov

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Integrated Heat Health Information System,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NIHHIS
Description
Federal webpage providing information regarding extreme heat and health for the United States.

High Performance Home Building Guide for Habitat for Humanity Affiliates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Marburger Lindsey
·
Organization(s)
Federation of American Scientists,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Document providing a roadmap to aid Habitat for Humanity affiliates in building high performing houses by using materials and techniques that are affordable, do not add any maintenance burden, and are volunteer friendly.

High Performance Walls in Hot-Dry Climates

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Hoeschele Marc,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.

High-Efficiency Window Air Conditioners

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Factsheet profiling a simple modification that can be made to window air-conditioners to improve their energy efficiency.

High-R Roofs Case Study Analysis, BA-1006

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Straube John,
Grin Aaron
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

High-R Walls for New Construction Structural Performance: Wind Pressure Testing

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Desjarlais Andre O,
Kochkin Vladimir
·
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Report with test results that serve as a baseline of data for further material tests of other high-R wall systems and for comparison to whole-house wind pressure testing.

Home Cooling Systems

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Saver
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Website providing information on low-energy and standard cooling systems, with a focus on saving energy.

Home Energy Saver

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
Online calculator for estimating payback of adding additional insulation to your house.

Hood River Passive House

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Hales David
·
Organization(s)
WSU Extension Energy Programs,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Description
Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.

How Many Hours-of-Safety Do Our Homes Have in Extreme Weather?

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Corvidae Jacob,
Ayyagari Sheha
·
Organization(s)
Rocky Mountain Institute,
RMI
Description
Article from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

How to Create a Naturally Cool Building

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Williams Jeremy
·
Organization(s)
The Earthbound Report
Description
Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

How to Design a Home for a Cold Climate

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Diez Roy
·
Organization(s)
New Home Source
Description
Article summarizing for potential homeowners items to check or demand from the builder in designing a home for a cold climate.

How to Finish Exterior Foundation Insulation

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Green Building Advisor
·
Organization(s)
GBA
Description
Website that explains and provides diagrams for covering up above-grade rigid foam insulation.

How to Install Cellulose Insulation

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Holladay Martin
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Description
Information sheet presenting techniques for installing cellulose insulation.

How to Insulate a Basement Wall

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Holladay Martin
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Description
Blog entry describing methods for insulating basement walls on the interior or exterior.

How to Insulate Your Basement

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Mathews Erin
·
Organization(s)
This Old House
Description
An article and video of a breakdown on the preparation and installation of basement insulation.

How to Prevent Roof Damage from Winter Ice Buildup

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Dorsi Chris
·
Organization(s)
Montana State University Extension,
MSU Extension
Description
Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

HUD 2024 Housing Innovation Showcase Poster: Re-Siding your Home?

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Patricia Gunderson,
Theresa Gilbride
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Description
Factsheet describing re-siding retrofits containing exterior insulation and window upgrades aimed at improved energy savings and comfort.

HUD 2024 Housing Innovation Showcase Poster: Window Attachments Keep out the Heat

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Katherine Cort,
Theresa Gilbride
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Description
Factsheet outlining how window attachments like cellular shades, roller shades, storm windows with low-emissivity coatings, and solar screens are low-cost steps that can be implemented to keep homes cool in the summer.

Hybrid Assemblies, BSI-100

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article describing issues with condensation in unvented attics insulated with open-cell spray foam.

Ice Dams, BSD-135

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Straube John
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article outlining the casuses and solutions for ice dam problems.

Indirect/Passive Air-Flow Systems

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Kang Bhujon,
Lutz-Carillo Sky
·
Organization(s)
University of Texas
Description
Report detailing natural ventilation and passive airflow systems.

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Green Home Institute
·
Organization(s)
Green Home Institute
Description
Video describing how a frost-protected shallow foundation (FPSF) is constructed and including use of a stay-in-place EPS (expanded polystyrene) footing form that provides insulation and simplifies the installation of frost-protected monolithic concrete slab foundations.