Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 1 - 50 of 135 results:

A Guide to Residential Energy Storage and Rooftop Solar: State Net Metering Policies and Utility Rate Tariff Structures

2024

Kerby Jessica,

Tarekegne Bethel

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Article describing utility rates, net metering policies, installation costs, financial incentives, and other info for both consumers who are interested in installing renewable energy systems and for energy justice and clean energy advocates.

A Practical Guide to Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements

2012

Global Cool Cities Alliance,

R20 Regions of Climate Action

GCCA,

R20

Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.

AC vs. DC Coupling Energy Storage Systems

2021

Miller Lucas

Mayfield Renewables

Website article describing the advantages and disadvantages of AC and DC battery energy storage systems and inverters for solar power systems.

Affordable Passive Solar Planbook for North Carolina

2005

Appalachian State University

AEC,

App State

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

Architecture of New Mexico

2022

Albuquerque Museum

City of Albuquerque,

CABQ

Power Point PDF presentation on historical architecture in New Mexico

Backup Power Options to Prepare for the Next Power Outage

2019

Suntegrity Solar

Webpage from Suntegrity Solar describing different backup power generator options to prepare for future power outages.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Comparison

2021

Clean Energy Reviews

CER

Website providing comparison charts and reviews of battery energy storage systems for solar power systems.

Best Practices Solar Case Study: John Wesley Miller Companies, Armory Park del Sol Tucson Arizona

2009

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Case study describing solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in new construction.

Builders Challenge Guide to 40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates Solar Case Study Grupe: Carsten Crossings, Rocklin California

2009

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Case study describing solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in new construction.

Building a Better Trombe Wall

1998

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NREL

Fact sheet providing background and technical information on Trombe wall design

Building America Best Practices Series: Solar Case Study: Pulte Homes, Civano Tucson AZ

2007

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Case study describing solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in new construction.

Building Codes and Regulations for Solar Water Heating Systems

2012

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Website with consumer and contractor information about building codes and regulations for solar water heating systems.

Building Orientation for Optimum Energy

2022

Gromicko Nick,

Gromicko Ben

InterACHI

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

CBE Thermal Comfort Tool

2020

Tartarini Federico,

et al.

Center for the Built Environment,

CBE,

UC Berkeley,

SinBerBEST,

Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore,

BEARS

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

Climate Consultant

2021

Milne Murray

Society of Building Science Educators,

SBSE,

University of California Los Angeles,

UCLA

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

Climate Safe Housing - Strategies for Multifamily Building Resilience

2023

Enterprise Community Partners

ECP

Webpage providing information on how window shading can reduce heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.

Comparative Evaluation of the Impact of Roofing Systems on Residential Cooling Energy Demand in Florida

2002

Parker Danny S,

Sonne Jeffrey K,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Study investigating measured cooling energy performance in side-by-side identical homes with varying roof types, including cool roof technologies.

Conway Street Apartments: A Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

2014

Aldrich Robb,

Williamson Jim

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE,

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB

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

Cool Colored Materials for Roofs

2004

Akbari Hashem,

et al.

California Energy Commission,

CEC,

Public Interest Energy Research Program,

PIER,

Laboratory Directed Research and Development,

LDRD,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,

LBNL

Study describing efforts and outcomes in developing color-pigmented roofing products with coatings to increase solar reflectance.

Cool Roofs

2023

ENERGY STAR

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

EPA,

ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR webpage discussing the costs and benefits of cool roofs.

Cool Roofs Help Reduce Energy Costs

2023

ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

EPA

Web page providing information on the types of cool roofs and their benefits to consumers.

Cool Surfaces Savings Explorer

2018

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

LBNL

Tool developed by LBNL to calculate potential savings from increasing wall and roof solar reflectance.

Cooling Related Performance of Finished and Unfinished Metal Roofing Systems

2002

Parker Danny S,

Sonne Jeffrey K,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of finished and unfinished metal roofing systems on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Cost, Design, and Performance of Solar Hot Water in Cold-Climate Homes

2006

Aldrich Robb,

Vijayakumar Gayathri

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Report describing the monitored long-term performance of two solar domestic water heating systems in northern climates.

Discussion of Strategies for Mounting Photovoltaic Arrays on Rooftops

2001

Barkaszi Stephen F,

Dunlop James P

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

A research paper exploring the installation and mounting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on rooftops and the challenges faced by system designers and installers.

DOE Solar Decathlon Website

2023

Solar Decathlon,

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

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

DOE Steep Slope Calculator

2005

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

U.S. Department of Energy

ORNL,

DOE

Simple web-based tool allowing homeowners to calculate the potential savings from installing a cool roof.

DOE Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers Program

2020

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

A PDF containing the SERC Solar PV System Field-Inspection Checklist.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Solar Hot Water-Ready Checklist (Encouraged)

2019

Zero Energy Ready Home,

U.S. Department of Energy

ZERH,

DOE

Checklist describing solar water heating recommendations per the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes

2023

Gilbride Theresa L

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Fact sheet poster describing benefits and qualification of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) certified Zero Energy Ready Homes and providing eight examples of certified homes.

Effects of Tilt and Azimuth on Annual Incident Solar Radiation for United States Locations

2001

Christensen Craig B,

Barker Greg M

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Mountain Energy Partnership

Study presenting generalized results regarding the effect of surface orientation on annual incident solar radiation for locations in the United States.

Electric Fan Use for Cooling During Hot Weather: A Biophysical Modelling Study

2021

Morris Nathan B,

et al.

University of Sydney,

University of Copenhagen,

University of Montreal,

Monash University,

The Lancet Planetary Health,

The Lancet Group

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

Electricity Resilience in Florida: Hurricane Dorian vs Tesla Powerwall

2019

Parker Danny S

CleanTechnica

Article describing a case study in which a whole-house battery and PV system was tested in a home with cooling and refrigeration during a hurricane in Florida.

Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building, Third Printing

1992

Vieira Robin K,

Sheinkopf Kenneth G,

Sonne Jeffrey K

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Document talking about the topic Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building.

EPA Region 8 Headquarters

2007

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

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

Evaluation of Cellular Shades in the PNNL Lab Homes

2016

Sullivan Greg P,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental setup and results of field studies on using interior cellular shading attachments to reduce solar heat gain in summer and reduce heat loss in winter.

Evaluation of Cellular Shades in the PNNL Lab Homes

2015

Peterson Joseph M,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Report describing the methods and results of a field evaluation of the energy performance of cellular shade window coverings.

Evaluation of Exterior Shades at PNNL Lab Homes and Occupied Field Sites

2020

Cort Katherine A,

Hunt Walter E

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental setup and results of field studies on using exterior fabric shading attachments to reduce solar heat gain, reduce glare, and improve comfort.

Evaluation of Interior Cellular Shades in a Residential Building

2021

Bhandari Mahabir,

et al.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,

LBNL

DOE-sponsored report describing a study investigating the energy savings potential of cellular shades in homes.

Evaluation of the NightCool Nocturnal Radiation Cooling Concept: Annual Performance Assessment in Scale Test Buildings Stage Gate 1B

2008

Parker Danny S,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Report about an experimental evaluation conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

Evaluation of the Thermal and Moisture Performance of Insulating Shades

2022

Cort Katherine A,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

DOE-sponsored report describing a study investigating condensation buildup on windows when using insulating shades.

Factor of Building Orientation Direction as Determinant the Thermal Comfort Quality

2019

Rilatupa James

Sriwijaya International Conference on Science Engineering and Technology,

Tarumanagara University,

Christian University of Indonesia,

Electrochemical Society,

ECS

Technical report describing the impact of orientation on thermal comfort.

Flexible Roofing Facility: 2001 Summer Test Results

2002

Parker Danny S,

Sonne Jeffrey K,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of various roof types on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

For Homes

2014

Florida Solar Energy Center

FSEC

Website with information for consumers about solar thermal systems for homes.

General PV Specification

2009

Aldrich Robb

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Brochure on specifications for PV systems.

General Solar Thermal Specification

2009

Aldrich Robb

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Brochure on specifications for solar thermal systems.

Geospatial Data Science

2023

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NREL

A website providing geospatial data , tools, and maps including data on the U.S. solar resources for solar power.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

2019

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Fact sheet defining a grid-interactive efficient building and its benefits.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

2020

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

DOE

Website highlighting the DOE Building Technologies Office Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Initiative, including technical reports, other publications, resources, and presentations.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings Technical Report Series - Lighting and Electronics

2019

Nubbe Valerie,

Yamada Mary

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report evaluating lighting and electronic building technologies based on their ability to provide grid services and the type of value provided, including efficiency, load shed, load shift, and modulation.