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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 - 28 of 28

Database of Low-e Storm Window Energy Performance across U.S. Climate Zones

Author(s)
Cort Katherine A,
Culp Thomas D
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Birch Point Consulting,
BPC
Publication Date
Research study evaluating energy savings and cost effectiveness of installing low-emissivity (low-e) storm windows over existing windows in residential homes in all climate zones.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Design and Construction Process

Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Design and Construction Process chapter provides detailed guidance for each process phase: pre-planning, planning, construction, test-out and post-occupancy.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Lessons learned

Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Lessons Learned chapter focuses on successful deep energy retrofit projects throughout the U.S.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Over-Time, Phased Guidance

Author(s)
Less,
Walker
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Over Time, Phased Guidance chapter presents a phased approach to deep energy retrofits.

Digital Coast

Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Organization(s)
NOAA
Publication Date
Website helping communities address coastal issues with data, tools, and training resources.

ENERGY STAR HVAC Design Report

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
This report is designed to meet ASHRAE 62.2-2010/2013 and ANSI/ACCA’s 5 QI-2015 protocol, thereby improving the performance of HVAC equipment in new homes when compared to homes built to minimum code.

Evaluation of Missed Energy Saving Opportunity Based on Illinois Home Performance Program Field Data: Homeowner Selected Upgrades Versus Cost-Optimized Solutions

Author(s)
Yee S,
Milby M,
Baker J
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR
Publication Date
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.

Feasibility of Foundation Heat Exchangers for Residential Ground Source Heat Pump Systems in the United States

Author(s)
Cullin James R,
Xing Lu,
Lee Edwin,
Spitler Jeffrey D,
Fisher Daniel E
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE,
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Study characterizing how foundation heat exchangers (FHXs) used in residential ground source heat pump systems represent a potential cost savings due to their lesser first cost over other types of heat exchangers.

FEMA P-762: Local Officials Guide for Coastal Construction

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A guide aiming to assist local officials and community decision makers in coastal areas in adopting and implementing sound mitigation measures to lower building natural disaster vulnerability.

Fortified Home Wind Uplift Design Pressure Calculator

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Calculator determining the appropriate design pressures for steep-slope roof coverings for roofers and evlauators.

Fourth National Climate Assessment, Vol 2

Author(s)
U.S. Global Change Research Program
Organization(s)
U.S. Global Change Research Program
Publication Date
Report analyzing the effect of global climate change on national interests, and providing climate predictions.

Greenbuilt Retrofit Test House Final Report

Author(s)
Sparn B,
Hudon K,
Earle Lieko,
Booten Chuck,
Tabares-Velasco Paulo Cesar,
Barker Greg M,
Hancock C E
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Publication Date
Research report presenting results of short term tests on measures used in an energy efficiency retrofit project in California.

Moisture Performance of High-R Wall Systems

Author(s)
Shah,
Kochkin
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
The next generation of building enclosures is a key step toward achieving high-performance goals through decreasing energy load demand and enabling advanced space-conditioning systems. Yet the adoption of high-R enclosures and particularly high-R walls has been a slow-growing trend because...

NOAA National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center

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

NOAA National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage

Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Publication Date
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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center

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

Thermal Performance and Wall Ratings

Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E,
Kosny Jan
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Report proposing a procedure for estimating the whole opaque wall R-value (whole-wall R-value), independent of system type and construction materials.

Upgrading Below Grade Spaces

Author(s)
Huelman Patrick H,
Breidenbach Sam,
Schirber Steve
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
NSTAR
Publication Date
Presentation describing the challenges of insulating an existing basement, presented to the Building America residential energy-efficiency stakeholder meeting.

Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Version 12

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Information sheet with the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.