Library

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

Report presenting system design packages for cold and mixed-humid climates.

Wildfire guidance for homes located in the wildland urban interface, focused on site design and individual pieces of the home.

Ignition resistant residential construction and landscaping guidelines from FireSafe Montana.

Article from University of Arizona on keeping homes cool during extreme heat, both personal and system changes.

Guide describing landscaping tips for healthy and regionally-based gardens, including maintenance, mulching, water efficiency, and plant resources.

Paper describing vegetation impacts on cooling load for buildings.

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.

Technical report assessing the market for Low-e storm windows based on market data, case studies, and recent experience with weatherization deployment programs.

A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.

Paper describing energy savings in space cooling from shading condenser units.

Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Article describing mulching with lawn clippings.

Pamphlet describing different types of mulches and their benefits.

Online geospatial map with interactive viewer showing flood risk areas and base flood elevations

An article about double-hung windows.

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.

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.

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.

Paper describing a study on savings in peak power and cooling energy for homes with shade trees.

Brochure describing what permeable pavement is, where to install it, and how to maintain it.

Pamphlet describing proper mulching around trees and problems and benefits associated with mulching.

Report providing wildfire protection guidance for homeowners in California.

Recovery Advisory document provide guidance related to the use and installation of opening protection systems to protect glazed openings (windows) from wind-borne debris during high-wind events.

Technical fact sheet describing the selection and installation of storm shutters and impact-resistant glazing and other types of opening protection in windborne debris regions; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Website providing information about how to keep the properties rat-free and address conditions that can lead to rats.

Guide discussing ways that homeowners in ground-secured houses can reduce the risks and damage caused by floods upon residential buildings.

Guidance document describing urban heat islands, what they are, how they form, why we care, and including some strategies to reduce them.

Report providing architects, designers, and homeowners with information to make house plans useful for constructing a more wind resilient structure.

Report identifying the steps to take, with the help of a qualified home performance contractor, to seal unwanted air leaks while ensuring healthy levels of ventilation and avoiding sources of indoor air pollution.

Manual describing methods for rodent-proofing buildings.

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.

A research paper exploring the design, installation, repair and maintenance of solar water and pool heating technologies.

Guide describing the installation of windows in walls that have foam plastic insulating; guide provides several methods for attaching, supporting, and flashing windows in walls with rigid foam sheathing. (Note: The link only goes to the table of contents for the guide, the full guide can be...

Webpage providing information how to deal with rodents by knowing what they look like, where they live, and what they do.

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.

ENERGY STAR webpage describing the benefits of storm windows and a link to a product list.

Webpage providing an ENERGY STAR climate zone map and criteria for ENERGY STAR storm windows per climate zone.

Paper describing landscaping influences on heat gain through shading, infiltration shielding, and microclimate creation for nearby buildings.

Paper describing case studies on urban vegetation and greenways and their impacts on city climate and building performance.

Document with information on preventing termites when using ICFs.

Document describing the impacts of tree cover on property values.

Paper describing the effects of shade trees and their location on residential summertime electricity usage.

Training course describing how to incorporate trees into an energy-conserving landscape.

Manual describing scientific, technical, and practical information needed to work with communities on urban forestry, including a section on trees and construction.

A website providing information on sealing the home against rodents and how to trap rodents once they have made their way into the home.

Document outlining a well-detailed drainage plane and flashings.

Web-based manual providing guidance for removal and preventing entry of nuisance wildlife.

Webpage describing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and how to plan residential building to mitigate wildfire risks associated with building in the WUI.

Webpage from USFA compiling resources from across the U.S. on Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) information.