Library

California Office of the State Fire Marshal's homepage for the Building Materials Listing Program, providing builders, contractors, architects, and others with access to a database of fire alarm systems and fire-resistant construction materials including roof coverings, wall, ceiling, and floor...

California Office of the State Fire Marshal's compiled and searchable list of different building materials and their test results for fire resistance.

Document presenting some of the key technical properties of many of the most common building materials.

Document detailing how to build radon-resistant homes.

Article describing the principle of capillarity in construction materials.

Book describing Carpentry and Construction, Construction Materials, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Construction Equipment, Jobsite Safety, and Working Conditions, Building Design and Print reading, Inspections Survey Instruments and Operations, Foundation and Outdoor Slab Construction, Floor, Wall, and...

ENRGY STAR webpage discussing the basics of certified ceiling fans.

Information sheet with information about insulating and ventilating attics.

Document with information from a workshop addressing framing materials for residential buildings in California. A copy of the document can be requested at the resource link, and an online copy of the document can be found by searching for it on the California Energy Commission's Library Online...

Document providing guidance about choosing the correct caulk for a project.

Report on the stability of furring strips as a means for cladding attachment over walls with thick exterior rigid insulation.

Report on a simplified test procedure for combustion safety that is easier to implement and should produce fewer false positives than the previous procedure.

Information sheet discussing the properties and benefits of insulating concrete forms.

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...

Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.

Article describing the use of whole-house fans to provide cooling in the region surrounding Sacramento, CA.

Report providing recommendations to builders regarding how to reduce cooling loads, use air-circulation fans, natural ventilation, window and building design for natural ventilation, and whole-house fans.

Short report providing tips on how to reduce heat gain and passively cool a home.

Technical bulletin addressing surfacing options in regards to composite wood panels and their emission barrier capabilities.

Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the different landscaping strategies near homes to lower the risk of a home's ignition from wildfire.

Fact sheet describing guidance for choosing appropriate materials and using proper construction practices when rebuilding, repairing, or renovating a home to increase its resistance to fires.

Standard describing prediction, mitigation, and reduction of moisture damage to the building envelope, materials, components, systems, and furnishings, depending on climate, construction type, and HVAC system operation; the webstore allows preview or full purchase.

Article describing the causes of wood decay and moisture issues.

Article from Stephen L. Quarles on fire resistant decking design and materials recommendations.

Article from The Home Energy Community of Practice on designing energy efficient homes in hot climate zones, including home orientation, window location, and roof design considerations.

Article from Green Building Advisor on strategies to take when building homes to reduce the need for air conditioning, including insulation, windows, site selection, and roofing.

The main principle of smart ventilation used in this study is to shift ventilation from time periods with large indoor-outdoor temperature differences, to periods where these differences are smaller, and their energy impacts are expected to be less.

Research report describing the development of standardized test methods for PM2.5 and CO2 sensors enabling reliable, low-cost indoor air quality monitoring and improvement.

Report covering the rainwater performance of building assemblies.

Article describing earthship homes.

Bulletin describing the components of ECM motors and comparing their efficiency with PSC motors.

Report describing an investigation into multiple occupancy-based ventilation control strategies and the associated energy savings.

Report on problems and solutions with EIFS stucco wall cladding systems.

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

Technical report evaluating the energy savings potential of radiative cooling technologies, particularly photonic 'selective emittance' materials.

Factsheet describing the benefits of purchasing and installing ENERGY STAR rated fans and ventilation products.

Program criteria for residential exhaust fans used for ventilation.

Brochure providing information on the design of the EPA Region 8 headquarters in Denver, CO.

Guidance documents describing Erosion Control Blankets (ECBs) use as a construction material that provides temporary cover and support for establishing vegetation on bare soil. ECB holds topsoil and seed (typically grass) in place to minimize erosion during germination of seed.

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.

Report describing the evaluation and selection of ventilation systems for homes retrofitted for energy aesthetic and health/safety improvements in Las Vegas.

Document reviewing four cold-climate northern Illinois energy efficiency retrofit programs to identify practices, tools, and approaches to streamline and reduce costs of comprehensive retrofits, and to improve the consistency of audit and retrofit delivery practices across different programs.

Case study on exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air intake strategies implemented in high-performance new-construction multifamily buildings.

Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.

Research study documenting market-ready energy solutions to improve the efficiency of new affordable housing in the marine climate of Washington State.

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 describing research that helps inform best practices for air-sealing multifamily buildings in the Northeast.

An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.

Summary document describing flood resistant building materials and some tips for building flood resistant walls.