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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 51 - 100 of 114 results:

Geospatial Data Science

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Description
Website with prepopulated information about the United States renewable resources.

Greenbuilt Retrofit Test House Final Report

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Earle Lieko,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Description
Research report presenting results of short term tests on measures used in an energy efficiency retrofit project in California.

Home Power

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sanchez
·
Organization(s)
Home Power
Description
Web article about solar site assessment.

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.

Ignition Resistant Construction Design Manual

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Colorado Springs Fire Department
·
Organization(s)
City of Colorado Springs,
State of Colorado
Description
Wildfire guidance for homes located in the wildland urban interface, focused on site design and individual pieces of the home.

Ignition Resistant Construction Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
FireSafe Montana
·
Organization(s)
FireSafe Montana
Description
Ignition resistant residential construction and landscaping guidelines from FireSafe Montana.

Keeping Homes and Cities Cool in Extreme Heat

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Kyle Mittan
·
Organization(s)
University of Arizona
Description
Article from University of Arizona on keeping homes cool during extreme heat, both personal and system changes.

Landscaping Tips

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
Guide describing landscaping tips for healthy and regionally-based gardens, including maintenance, mulching, water efficiency, and plant resources.

Living with Fire: Homeowners' Firesafe Guide for Montana

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
FireSafe Montana
·
Organization(s)
FireSafe Montana
Description
Guide for homeowners describing actions they can take to modify their home and the surrounding site to create a survivable space to reduce the amount of damage a home would likely experience during a wildfire.

Local Officials Guide for Coastal Construction, FEMA P-762

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Guide describing sound mitigation measures to lower building natural disaster vulnerability to assist local officials and community decision makers in coastal areas.

Low-Cost Evaluation of Energy Savings at the Community Scale, Fresno California

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Burdick Arlan,
Rapport Ari,
Poerschke Andrew
·
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
Wathen Castanos Hybrid Homes,
WCHH,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report using a field test plan to evaluate the success of implementing energy efficiency upgrades at the community scale incorporating whole-house systems integrated measures package (SIMP).

Maintain Defensible Space

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
·
Organization(s)
Cal Fire
Description
A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.

Measured Impacts of Air Conditioner Condenser Shading

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Parker Danny S,
Barkaszi Stephen F
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Paper describing energy savings in space cooling from shading condenser units.

Measured Performance of Occupied, Side-by-Side, South Texas Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Chasar Dave,
vonSchramm Valerie
·
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
Description
Report summarizing a case study about the performance of three occupied homes built in 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.

Mulching to Improve Soil Health, E484A

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sabata,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Agriculture,
USDA
Description
Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Mulching with Lawn Clippings

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Garden City Harvest
·
Organization(s)
Garden City Harvest
Description
Article describing mulching with lawn clippings.

Mulching Your Trees and Landscapes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service
·
Organization(s)
University of Tennessee
Description
Pamphlet describing different types of mulches and their benefits.

National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) Viewer

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Online geospatial map with interactive viewer showing flood risk areas and base flood elevations

National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Description
A website issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather and increasing the understanding of hazards.

New National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Research Council Canada
·
Organization(s)
NRCC
Description
Report for local governments, planners, emergency managers, developers, insurers, and property owners describing ways to improve the wildfire resistance of buildings, infrastructure and communities in the wildland urban interface.

NFPA 1142 – Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
·
Organization(s)
NFPA
Description
An NFPA Standard that identifies a method for determining the minimum water supply necessary for structural fire-fighting purposes in areas where it has been determined that there is no water or inadequate water for fire fighting.

NFPA 22 – Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
·
Organization(s)
NFPA
Description
An NFPA standards document that provides minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of tanks and accessory equipment that supply water for private fire protection.

NOAA's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: the Enhanced Fujita Scale

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Description
The Enhanced F-scale is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage which uses three-second gusts estimated at the point of damage based on a judgment of 8 levels of damage to the 28 indicators listed.

Peak Power and Cooling Energy Savings of Shade Trees

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Akbari Hashem,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Description
Paper describing a study on savings in peak power and cooling energy for homes with shade trees.

Performance of a Hot-Dry Climate Whole-House Retrofit

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
German Alea,
Porse Erik,
Weitzel Elizabeth
·
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Description
Report presenting performance results from tests conducted on an energy efficiency retrofit project in Stockton, California.

Permeable Pavement

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
City of Mercer Island
·
Organization(s)
City of Mercer Island
Description
Brochure describing what permeable pavement is, where to install it, and how to maintain it.

Proper Mulching

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Fayetteville NC
·
Organization(s)
Fayetteville NC
Description
Pamphlet describing proper mulching around trees and problems and benefits associated with mulching.

SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute,
California Polytechnic State University
·
Organization(s)
UFEI,
Cal Poly
Description
Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.

Storm Prediction Center

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
·
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Description
A website providing timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States.

Storm Water Technology Fact Sheet - Vegetated Swales

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
Document describing correct construction of swales, designed to trap particulate pollutants (suspended solids and trace metals), promote infiltration, and reduce the flow velocity of storm water runoff.