Library

Article from CAL FIRE on fire-resistant landscaping to mitigate ignition of homes.

List of guidelines for plants and their fire resistance from FIRESafe Marin.

Five step plan from the Tahoe Fire & Fuels team outlining how to create an effective defensible space for wildfire protection. Recommendations include siting for homes on slopes.

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

Journal article describing energy impacts from shade trees and forests and solar heating and air infiltration.

Article describing a numerical model that can be used to size foundation heat exchanger (FHX) systems.

Website providing certifications and codes for automatic gas shut off valves in the state of California.

Brochure on specifications for solar thermal systems.

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

Article describing tree preservation during the construction process.

Best Practices document providing an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices.

Web article about solar site assessment.

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

Article describing the factors that can lead to inefficient hot water distribution systems in homes.

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

PDF detailing the inspection and verification guidance for WaterSense labeled new homes including indoor and outdoor efficiency requirements, and homeowner and building management education.

Report showing installers how to attach ducts, pipes, and associated equipment to buildings to minimize earthquake damage.

Fact sheet describing principles of insulating steam distribution and condensate return lines as an effective way to prevent energy loss.

Article discussing indoor water management.

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.

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

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.

Webpage describing water treatment standards as related to residential drinking water filters.

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.

Table calculating friction losses of PVC pipe fittings.

Table calculating friction losses for PVC pipe by length.

Document with important building science considerations, designed for members of the residential construction and remodeling industries, as well as owners and managers who work in affordable housing.

Field manual describing measures to reduce potential hazards and damages caused by and to nonstructural components of a building such as HVAC, appliances, lighting, windows, and furniture during an earthquake.

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

Website with information and research about residential hot water distribution systems.

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

This project analyzed combined condensing water heaters or boilers and hydronic air coils to provide high efficiency domestic hot water (DHW) and forced air space heating. Called "combi" systems, they provided similar space and water heating performance less expensively than installing two...

Article from the Institute of Biological Engineering describing reverse osmosis water softeners.

Factsheet describing air-sealing.

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.