Library

Study from Appalachian State University on passive solar design to take advantage of local climate zones for energy conservation.

Technical report describing the SPS (Structural Panel System), an innovative implementation of the "perfect wall" concept, situating environmental control layers on the exterior side of structural components for improved constructability, cost-effectiveness, and performance, validated through the...

Power Point PDF presentation on historical architecture in New Mexico

Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.

Report covering interior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.

Document focusing on the design and wall components that contribute to a pressure equalized rain screen wall, including the frequency of the weep holes and other brick masonry rain screen wall requirements.

Fact sheet providing background and technical information on Trombe wall design

Web based tool providing decision-making guidance for selecting wall assembly components.

Webpage explaining how to site and orient a house to take advantage of the solar path.

Article describing the principle of capillarity in construction materials.

Online tool for thermal comfort calculations and visualizations SoftwareX 12, 100563 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2020.100563

Climate Consultant is a software tool for helping architects, builders, contractor, homeowners, and students to understand their local climate.

Article describing how closed crawlspaces can do "double duty" by controlling moisture and providing energy savings.

Guidance from Zero Energy Project on construction techniques for warmer climates, such as home orientation, and insulation requirements.

Article about how mortar droppings during the installation of a brick veneer can clog the weep holes in the wall assembly causing moisture damage. The article also illustrates products that can be installed in the ventilated cavity to mitigate this problem.

Report covering exterior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.

Website for the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon competition.

Study testing the effect of fan cooling on healthy adults at increased ambient temperatures.

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

Report that demonstrates the durability, constructability, and cost-effectiveness of the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system for new construction housing projects in compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, addressing moisture risk management and high-performance envelope...

Technical report describing the impact of orientation on thermal comfort.

Article describing five fundamental changes to building construction from the last 50 years and their modern construction consequences.

A starting point for ballparking and comparing the cost of different siding materials and a brief overview of the pros and cons of different siding materials.

Article from Washington Post on passive cooling measures for homes during extreme heat.

Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

Article describing how omission of two small but critical wall details, a kick-out flashing and a weep screed, lead to extensive water damage to a wall.

Study evaluating opportunities for reducing cooling energy use in a hot dry climate through the use of shading and window options.

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

Article describing walls and moisture development on them.

Book detailing passive cooling methods including airflow methods, evaporative cooling, and earth cooling.

Webpage featuring hundreds of illustrations of masonry construction details for brick, congrete, stone, tile, stucco, etc.

Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Article describing how moisture accumulates inside of structures and issues that result.

Website providing guidance about mold and moisture for homes, schools, multifamily and commercial buildings.

Online course providing an overview of mold prevention and mold remediation.

Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Building science insight into crawlspaces.

Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.

Book describing passive cooling techniques from a technical and academic perspective.

Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

Paper summarizing passive and low-energy cooling systems for buildings.

Report providing information on performance of mortars and concrete containing PCMs.

City of Plymouth webpage providing information on the Plymouth Community Center Project.

Fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.

List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.

An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Data tables on U.S. renewable energy consumption and general trends in the market for renewable energy.

Fact sheet describing methods for flashing and air-sealing windows and doors.