Library

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...

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.

Report recommending strategies and approaches that the Federal government and other stakeholders may take to encourage and aid States and local communities in the adoption of the most current building codes.

Document serving as a starting point that features initial tools and resources for teams to start collaborating to continually improve the energy efficiency and durability of new houses.

Article describing three ways to strengthen the roof-to-wall connections in an existing home.

Article defining structural design loads and ways to calculate them, including dead loads, live loads, soil lateral loads, wind loads, snow loads, earthquake loads, and other loads.

Research study determining how well high performance envelope and innovative cooling system interact to cost effectively reduce cooling energy use in this hot-dry climate.

Research study making several recommendations to whole-home program designers and implementers for improving the cost effectiveness and reach of whole-home programs.

Resource manual for builders, designers, architects, plumbers, and others interested in the WaterSense Labeled Homes Program providing an overview of the program, explains how to meet the program requirements, gives descriptions of water-saving technologies, and provides links to further resources.

Report providing a selected compilation of seismic rehabilitation techniques and guidance on which techniques are commonly used to mitigate specific seismic deficiencies in various model building types.

Fact sheet describing building codes, seismic codes, and code enforcement.

Report developed for Habitat for Humanity about lessons learned from demonstration retrofit projects undertaken by Habitat for Humanity affiliates in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; with building systems consulting and technical assistance provided by Steven Winter Associates.

Report describing seismic retrofit of historical buildings.

Even as the worst housing market correction in more than 60 years appeared to turn a corner in 2009, the fallout from sharply lower home prices and high unemployment continued.

Report presenting results from whole-house monitoring efforts in hope that they may be useful for others moving towards zero energy homes.

Document providing an overview of the Thermal Bypass Checklist for the ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes program.

Guide describing details that serve as a visual reference for each of the line items in the Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist.

Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent...

Report documenting the process and outcomes involved in achieving the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program certification standards while helping homebuilders in Climate Zones 5 and 6 in the Upper Midwest achieve ZERH certification.

Webpage for the United States Geological Survey for the Department of the Interior.

Webpage from Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) on identifying key problem spots on unreinforced masonry chimneys and how to retrofit them to withstand seismic forces.

Article describing how adhesives can be used to make homes in high-wind locations stronger and how adhesives could be too effective resulting in overloading foundation anchors under earthquake loads.

Products and specification for a State of California-compliant earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff valve.

Information sheet with the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.

Guide describing details that serve as a visual reference for each of the line items in the Water Management System Builder Checklist.

Specification of criteria for lavatory faucets and faucet accessories under the U.S. EPA WaterSense Program.

Article describing the EPA WaterSense program, process, and benefits.

Web page providing links or specifications for homes to be labeled through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program.

Fact sheet outlining requirements for WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets, detailing their water-efficient features, compliance with flow rate standards, testing, construction, and verification.

Fact sheet describing the requirements for EPA WaterSense certified clothes washers that highlights the integrated water factor, integrated modified energy factor, top-loading vs. front-loading specifications, efficiency code standards, local requirements, faucet types and regulations for building...

Fact sheet describing the requirements for EPA WaterSense certified dishwashers that highlights water cycle specifications, efficiency code standards, water consumption level relation to criteria, the advantages of ENERGY STAR dishwashers, and the regulations for building and verifying a labeled...

Fact sheet describing protocols for detecting, addressing, and preventing water leaks in homes, covering pressure-loss testing, visual inspections, and specific leak tests for fixtures and appliances.

Fact sheet describing four different efficient hot water delivery (HWD) systems, the trunk-and branch, core, whole-house manifold, and recirculation, with emphasis on system schematics, piping materials, and regulations to design and verify the systems.

Fact sheet describing the requirements for EPA WaterSense certified kitchen faucets that highlights flow rate specifications, efficiency code standards, local requirements, faucet types and regulations for building and verifying a labeled faucet to ensure it meets the quality and water management...

Fact sheet describing the significance of managing service water pressure within recommended ranges through the installation of pressure-regulating valves (PRVs).

This fact sheet describes the requirements for WaterSense labeled showerheads in, highlighting their water-saving capabilities, adherence to flow rate criteria, independent performance certification, and how they're built, verified and in alignment with the conservation and water management goals of...

This fact sheet outlines the mandatory inclusion of WaterSense labeled toilets in homes, highlighting their water-efficient features, certified performance, and leak prevention; The sheet describes the requirements for these features, steps to build, and steps to verify a labeled toilet to insure...

Fact sheet describing the implementation of water metering and submetering measures in residential properties, particularly multifamily buildings, to enhance water efficiency, usage tracking, and compliance with relevant regulations; It outlines how to build and verify water meters and submeters to...

Fact sheet describing the importance and regulation of EPA WaterSense water softeners including the function of cation exchange water softeners, the importance of salt efficiency, the negative impact of hard water on household appliances, softeners that use demand-initiated regeneration with...

Resource that provides a checklist of program criteria for water-efficient new homes under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program.

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.

Report assessing the performance and cost-effectiveness of a zero net energy community project in Davis, CA.

An informational guide established to educate the public on seismic shut-off valves and how to avoid fires following an earthquake.

Infographic explaining what a seismic shut-off valve is and providing frequently asked questions.

Information sheet outlining the criteria for ENERGY STAR qualified, windows, doors, and skylights.

Wepage providing information on ENERGY STAR certified gas tankless water heaters with information on how they cut water heating expenses as well as a product finder tool to find ENERGY STAR certified products.

Fact sheet describing impact-resistant window systems with specifics on Florida’s building codes.

Tax credit for ENERGY STAR certified windows, doors and skylights.