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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 - 50 of 70

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Measure Packages

Author(s)
Baker Julie D,
Brand Larry,
Yee Shannon
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA
Publication Date
Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages, BA-1205

Author(s)
Neuhauser Ken
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Attic Retrofits Using Nail-Base Insulated Panels

Author(s)
Mallay David,
Kochkin Vladimir
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
This report outlines research activities that are expected to facilitate the adoption of energy retrofits by remodeling contractors and roofing contractors using retrofit panels which applicable to many existing house designs in most climates and markets.

Bay Ridge Gardens - Mixed Humid Affordable Multifamily Housing Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Lyons James,
Moore Mike,
Thompson Margo
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Newport Ventures,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, utility bill data analysis, and results of on-site monitoring of a deep energy retrofit.

Building Materials Property Table, Info-500

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Document presenting some of the key technical properties of many of the most common building materials.

Chicagoland Single-Family Housing Characterization

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Scheu R,
Yang J,
Spanier J
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
CNT Energy,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Report identifying housing characteristics and energy use for fifteen single-family housing types and specifies measure packages that provide an optimum level of energy savings based on a BEopt analysis.

Cladding Attachment Over Thick Exterior Insulated Sheathing

Author(s)
Baker Peter,
Eng P,
LePage Robert
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report on the stability of furring strips as a means for cladding attachment over walls with thick exterior rigid insulation.

Cold Climate Foundation Retrofit Energy Savings: The Simulated Energy and Experimental Hygrothermal Performance of Cold Climate Foundation Wall Insulation Retrofit Measures - Phase I, Energy Simulation

Author(s)
Goldberg Louise F,
Steigauf Brianna
Organization(s)
NothernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study describing an experimental and theoretical investigation of the energy and hygrothermal performance of retrofit foundation insulation systems in climate zones 6 and 7.

Compact Buried Ducts in a Hot-Humid Climate House

Author(s)
Mallay David
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.

Construction Guide - Next Generation High Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 Part 2: 2x4 Walls with 1” to 1.5” Exterior Insulative Sheathing

Author(s)
Kochkin Vladimir,
Wiehagen Joseph
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
The Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel sheathing (WSP) as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low...

Cost Effectiveness of Home Energy Retrofits in Pre-Code Vintage Homes in the United States

Author(s)
Fairey Philip W,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study examining the opportunities for cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits in residential archetypes constructed before 1980 (Pre-Code) in 14 U.S. cities.

Energy Efficient Crawlspace Foundation Retrofit: Mixed Humid Climate

Author(s)
Del Bianco Marie,
Wiehagen Joseph,
Wood Amber
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report outlining the steps of translating a new home construction scope of work (SOW) to SOW for retrofit.

Energy Renovations Insulation - A Guide for Contractors to Share with Homeowners, Volume 17

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Adams Karen T,
Hefty Marye G,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document providing descriptions of the many insulation options available to homeowners, along with guidance on where, when, and how to install insulation throughout your house.

Energy Retrofit Field Study and Best Practices in a Hot-Humid Climate

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Sutherland Karen,
McIlvaine Janet E R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
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.

Energy Savings Measure Packages: Existing Homes

Author(s)
Casey Sean,
Booten Chuck
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
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.

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
Farley Jene,
Ruch Russell
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report exploring feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25% source energy savings.

Evaluation of Retrofit Delivery Packages

Author(s)
Berman Mark,
Smith Pepper,
Porse Erik
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.

Expert Meeting Report: Foundations Research Results

Author(s)
Ojczyk Cindy,
Huelman Patrick H,
Carmody John
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Publication Date
Expert meeting report describing the need for greater understanding of foundation systems including moisture and insulation issues.

Exploring Cost-Effective High Performance Residential Retrofits for Affordable Housing in the Hot Humid Climate

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet,
Sutherland Karen,
Schleith Kevin,
Chandra Subrato
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
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.

Exterior Insulation Implications on Heating and Cooling in Cold Climates

Author(s)
Herk Anastasia,
Poerschke Andrew
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings.

External Insulation of Masonry Walls and Wood Framed Walls

Author(s)
Baker Peter
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study developing baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2 in. to 8 in.) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls.

Field Evaluation of Four Novel Roof Designs for Energy-Efficient Manufactured Homes

Author(s)
Dentz Jordan,
Ansanelli Eric,
Dadia D,
Levy Emanuel,
Barker Greg M,
Rath Pournamasi
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES
Publication Date
Report of a field evaluation of four novel roof designs to see how each design would reduce space-conditioned energy use so that the knowledge gained could be applied to the design of new manufactured homes.

Fort Benning Indianhead Townhome Renovations

Author(s)
Stephenson R,
Roberts S,
Butler Tom,
Kim E
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Southface Energy Institute,
SEI
Publication Date
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.

Measure Guideline: Basement Insulation Basics

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Mantha Pallavi,
Puttagunta Srikanth
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Document describing good practices for insulating basements in new and existing homes.

Measure Guideline: Installing Rigid Foam Insulation on the Interior of Existing Brick Walls

Author(s)
Natarajan Hariharan,
Puttagunta Srikanth,
Klocke Steve
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Information sheet providing information on installing Rigid XPS foam board insulation to existing brick masonry walls.

Measure Guideline: Internal Insulation of Masonry Walls

Author(s)
Schumacher Christopher,
Ueno Kohta,
Straube John
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report summarizing the importance of properly insulating and air sealing masonry walls, providing step by step instructions and approaches.

Moisture Management for High R-Value Walls

Author(s)
LePage Robert,
Schumacher Christopher,
Lukachko Alex
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.

Newporter Apartments: Deep Energy Retrofit Short-Term Results

Author(s)
Gordon Andrew,
Howard Luke,
Kunkle Rick,
Lubliner Michael,
Auer Dan,
Clegg Zach
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report demonstrating cost-effective energy savings targets as well as improved comfort and indoor environmental quality associated with deep energy retrofits by a large public housing authority as part of a larger rehabilitation effort.

Performance Evaluation and Opportunity Assessment for St. Bernard Project

Author(s)
Dickson Bruce
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report providing information about improving the energy efficiency and long-term durability of the buildings that are being reconstructed post Katrina in New Orleans.

Predicting Envelope Leakage in Attached Dwellings

Author(s)
Faakye Omari,
Arena Lois,
Griffiths Dianne
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study exploring a test method measuring air leakage between units through common surfaces and air infiltration across exterior, noncommon surfaces of the enclosure.