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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 151 - 200 of 799

Author(s)
California Contractors State License Board
Organization(s)
CSLB
Publication Date
Description
California State Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 8, Article 3, listing requirements for plumbing contractors.
Author(s)
Commins Tav
Organization(s)
State of California Division of the State Architect
Publication Date
Description
Webpage with certification requirements for excess flow and earthquake valves from California's Division of the State Architect (DSA).
Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Description
Guidelines from PG&E outlining how to stay safe during a flood event by shutting off natural gas and electric service to the home.
Author(s)
Morris Nathan B,
Chaseling Georgia K,
English Timothy,
Gruss Fabian,
Maideen Mohammad Fauzan Bin,
Capon Anthony,
Jay Ollie
Organization(s)
University of Sydney,
University of Copenhagen,
University of Montreal,
Monash University,
The Lancet Planetary Health,
The Lancet Group
Publication Date
Description
Study testing the effect of fan cooling on healthy adults at increased ambient temperatures.
Author(s)
Elgqvist Emma
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet providing information on building-scale and utility-scale battery storage for disaster resistance.
Author(s)
ICC Evaluation Service
Organization(s)
ICC Evaluation Service
Publication Date
Description
ICC-ES Evaluation Report reviewing proprietary steel shear wall panels developed by Simpson Strong-Tie Company to resist vertical and lateral loads in walls resulting from wind or earthquakes.
Author(s)
Colorado Springs Utilities
Organization(s)
CSU
Publication Date
Description
Website for gas utility customers describing the installation of excess flow valves to stop the flow of natural gas into a home in the event of a line rupture.
Author(s)
Knoxville Utilities Board
Organization(s)
KUB
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing what excess flow valves are, how they work, and the installation process.
Author(s)
City of Ellensburg
Organization(s)
City of Ellensburg
Publication Date
Description
Flyer from the City of Ellensburg WA describing what an excess flow valve is, how they work, and associated costs.
Author(s)
TECO Peoples Gas
Organization(s)
TECO
Publication Date
Description
Utility webpage describing the monetary costs associated with excess flow valves for TECO in Florida.
Author(s)
Insurance Information Institute
Organization(s)
III
Publication Date
Description
Webpage with statistics on recent U.S. wildfires.
Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing the safety hazards associated with natural gas and tips on how to avoid these hazards by a step process of turning off natural gas service to a home and restoring service afterwards.
Author(s)
U.S. Fire Administration
Organization(s)
USFA
Publication Date
Description
Webpage from USFA compiling resources from across the U.S. on Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) information.
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing ways builders and communities an reduce wildfire risk.
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety,
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
IBHS,
NFPA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety into how burning embers can ignite softwood decks like redwood and cedar and how to minimize the likelihood these decks will be ignited by embers.
Author(s)
NorthWest Natural
Organization(s)
NW Natural
Publication Date
Description
Webpage from NW Natural on how to prepare homes with natural gas service for earthquakes and floods, what to do during an emergency, and how to respond after the emergency has passed.
Author(s)
Town of Danville CA
Organization(s)
Town of Danville CA
Publication Date
Description
Brochure for natural gas utility customers describing seismic valves and excess flow valves for homes.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet describing the flood-resistant provisions of the 2021 International Codes and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, that are “higher standards” and that are more specific than the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements.
Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Organization(s)
State of California,
Cal Fire
Publication Date
Description
Webpage offering recommendations to homeowners and contractors for retrofitting a home to make it more resistant to wildfires.
Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing when and how to safely turn off the natural gas to the home during an emergency.
Author(s)
Canada Government of Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Climate Change
Organization(s)
GNWT ECC
Publication Date
Description
Website describing how wildfires spread and how fuels, weather, and topography influence fires.
Author(s)
Southern California Gas Company
Organization(s)
SoCalGas
Publication Date
Description
Webpage detailing how to purchase and install the correct shut-off valve for homes in California, including differences between earthquake and excess flow valves and how to install each.
Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet describing defensible space and wildfire risk reduction steps that homeowners can take to make their homes safer during a wildfire.
Author(s)
City of Malibu
Organization(s)
City of Malibu
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet for natural gas customers describing city’s seismic gas shut-off valve requirements.
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
A webpage providing guidance on increasing the wildfire resistance of a home.
Author(s)
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Organization(s)
NWCG
Publication Date
Description
Online course describing the behavior of wildfires for firefighters.
Author(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
Organization(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
Publication Date
Description
A guideline containing fire sprinkler insulation requirements from the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.
Author(s)
Cold Climate Housing Research Center
Organization(s)
CCHRC
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing how different amounts and types of snow loads affect the structural integrity of roofs and homes.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing residential tornado safe room doors.
Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
Description
2018 edition of code establishing a baseline for existing building retrofits to reach appropriate safety levels under new construction requirements covered in other ICC codes.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet discussing designs for prefabricated safe rooms built to ICC 500 standards mentioned in FEMA P-361.
Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Description
Articles, research, case studies, and more outlining considerations for planning and installation of a fire-protection system.
Author(s)
Schakowsky Janice
Organization(s)
U.S. House of Representatives
Publication Date
Description
Bill requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as a dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers to include testing related to tip overs and new warning requirements for all such products entering the U.S. market; passed...
Author(s)
Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
Report covering reducing risk from flooding.
Author(s)
Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal
Organization(s)
CAL FIRE OSFM
Publication Date
Description
California Office of the State Fire Marshal's homepage for the Building Materials Listing Program, providing builders, contractors, architects, and others with access to a database of fire alarm systems and fire-resistant construction materials including roof coverings, wall, ceiling, and floor...
Author(s)
Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal
Organization(s)
Cal Fire,
CAL FIRE OSFM
Publication Date
Description
California Office of the State Fire Marshal's compiled and searchable list of different building materials and their test results for fire resistance.
Author(s)
Knowles III Hal S,
Ruppert Kathleen C,
Lenfesty Karla A,
Halderman Barbara
Organization(s)
University of Florida IFAS Extension
Publication Date
Description
This document covers how broken windows can allow wind and rain inside the house and even lead to roof failure.
Author(s)
City of Plymouth,
State of Minnesota
Organization(s)
City of Plymouth,
State of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
City of Plymouth webpage providing information on the Plymouth Community Center Project.
Author(s)
U.S. Fire Administration
Organization(s)
U.S. Fire Administration
Publication Date
Description
A webpage that provides wildfire preparedness and safety pictographs.
Author(s)
Milne Murray
Organization(s)
Society of Building Science Educators,
SBSE,
University of California Los Angeles,
UCLA
Publication Date
Description
Climate Consultant is a software tool for helping architects, builders, contractor, homeowners, and students to understand their local climate.