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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 1 - 50 of 138

2011 EnergyValue Housing Award Report

Author(s)
Del Bianco Marie,
Sagan D,
Wood Amber
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
National Association of Home Builders Research Center,
NAHBRC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report assessing the energy performance of the 2011 EVHA winners and to align the EVHA program with the BA program.

A Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution systems with Fan Coil Delivery

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
Backman Christine
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

A Realistic Hot Water Draw Specification for Rating Solar Water Heaters

Author(s)
Burch Jay,
Thornton Jeff
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Thermal Energy System Specialists,
TESS
Publication Date
Document outlining the current and the proposed draws and estimates typical ratings changes from draw specification changes for typical systems in four cities.

Achieving Very High Efficiency and Net Zero Energy in an Existing Home in a Hot-Humid Climate: Long-Term Utility and Monitoring Data

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Sherwin John S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study describing how envelope modifications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and domestic hot water and renewable resources can result in considerable energy reductions, using the first full year of detailed data collected about a single-family home that experienced a series...

Advanced Extended Plate and Beam Wall System in a Cold-Climate House

Author(s)
Wiehagen Joseph,
Kochkin Vladimir,
Mallay David
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report on the design and evaluation of extended plate and beam.

Air Distribution Retrofit Strategies for Affordable Housing

Author(s)
Dentz Jordan,
Conlin Francis,
Holloway Parker,
Podorson David,
Varshney Kapil
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing two retrofit duct sealing techniques - manually-applied sealants and injecting a spray sealant, that were implemented in several low-rise multi-unit buildings in North Carolina.

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Measure Packages

Author(s)
Baker Julie D,
Brand Larry,
Yee Shannon
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA
Publication Date
Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Assessing the Energy Savings of Tankless Water Heater Retrofits in Public Housing

Author(s)
Dwiantoro Deny,
Walters R,
Ries R
Organization(s)
Building Energy Efficient Homes for America,
BEEHA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing methodology, analysis, and findings from a case study of a 110-unit retrofit of gas tankless water heaters in a hot/humid climate in Alachua County, Florida.

Assessment of the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Scoring Tool

Author(s)
Roberts David,
Merket Noel,
Heaney Mike,
Casey Sean,
Robertson Joseph,
Polly Benjamin
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report assessing the accuracy of HEST as it was being developed and to provide information useful to DOE program managers and HEST development team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages, BA-1205

Author(s)
Neuhauser Ken
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Building America Performance Analysis Procedures for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Hendron Robert
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report provides a proposed set of guidelines for estimating the energy savings achieved by a package of retrofits or an extensive rehabilitation of an existing home.

Building America Performance Analysis Procedures, Revision 1

Author(s)
Hendron Robert,
Anderson Ren,
Judkoff Ron,
Christensen Craig B,
Eastment Mark,
Norton Paul,
Reeves Paul,
Hancock Ed
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Partnership for Resource Conservation,
Mountain Energy Partnership,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document illustrating some analysis concepts that are proven to be effective and reliable in analyzing the transient energy usage of advanced energy systems as well as of entire houses.

Chicagoland Single-Family Housing Characterization

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Scheu R,
Yang J,
Spanier J
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
CNT Energy,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Report identifying housing characteristics and energy use for fifteen single-family housing types and specifies measure packages that provide an optimum level of energy savings based on a BEopt analysis.

Cold Climate Building Enclosure Solutions

Author(s)
Fallahi Ali,
Shukla Nitin,
Kosny Jan
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study investigating the energy performance and cost effectiveness of several state-of-the-art retrofit strategies that could be used in residential houses in the Boston and New England area.

Comparison of Advanced Residential Water Heating Technologies in the United States

Author(s)
Fang Xia,
Maguire Jeff,
Wilson Eric
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research report providing a comparison of the most common residential water heating technologies to determine energy-efficient and cost-effective water heating technologies are when subjected to a variety of typical operating conditions.

Condensing Hybrid Water Heater Monitoring Field Evaluation

Author(s)
Maguire Jeff,
Earle Lieko,
Booten Chuck,
Hancock C E
Organization(s)
Mountain Energy Partnership,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report about a hybrid condensing water heater (thermal efficiency = 0.973, energy factor = 0.95) installed in an occupied home in Sacramento, California, and monitored for one year to determine the actual in situ efficiency.

Cost Effectiveness of Home Energy Retrofits in Pre-Code Vintage Homes in the United States

Author(s)
Fairey Philip W,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study examining the opportunities for cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits in residential archetypes constructed before 1980 (Pre-Code) in 14 U.S. cities.

Cost Effectiveness of Home Energy Retrofits in Pre-Code Vintage Homes in the United States

Author(s)
Fairey Philip W,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report describing the analytical study of renewable energy retrofits to homes built before 1980 and whether it is cost efficient or not.

Developing an Energy Performance Modeling Startup Kit

Author(s)
Wood Amber
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report identifying business models for the remodeling industry that foster remodelers adoption of energy efficiency services.

Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump Comfort Evaluation

Author(s)
Roth Kurt,
Sehgal N,
Akers Craig
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research report with results from field tests in two homes in Austin, Texas, from October 2011 to June 2012 to evaluate the comfort performance of ductless mini-split heat pumps

Electric Energy Management in the Smart Home: Perspectives on Enabling Technologies and Consumer Behavior

Author(s)
Zipperer Adam,
Aloise-Young Patricia A.,
Suryanarayanan Siddharth,
Roche Robin,
Earle Lieko,
Christensen Dane,
Bauleo Pablo,
Zimmerle Daniel
Organization(s)
Colorado State University,
CSU,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Technology of Belfort-Montbeliard,
UTBM,
Fort Collins Utilities
Publication Date
Journal article presenting a discussion of the state-of-the- art in electricity management in smart homes, the various enabling technologies that will accelerate this concept, and topics around consumer behavior with respect to energy usage.

Energy Efficient Crawlspace Foundation Retrofit: Mixed Humid Climate

Author(s)
Del Bianco Marie,
Wiehagen Joseph,
Wood Amber
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report outlining the steps of translating a new home construction scope of work (SOW) to SOW for retrofit.

Energy Impacts of Nonlinear Behavior of PCM When Applied into Building Envelope

Author(s)
Tabares-Velasco Paulo Cesar
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study analyzing the effects a nonlinear enthalpy profile has on thermal performance and expected energy benefits for PCM-enhanced insulation.

Energy Savings Measure Packages: Existing Homes

Author(s)
Casey Sean,
Booten Chuck
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document presenting a simple starting point to determine the most cost-effective Energy Savings Measure Packages (ESMP) for existing homes to achieve 15% and 30% savings in 37 locations across the United States.

Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing the evaluation and selection of ventilation systems for homes retrofitted for energy aesthetic and health/safety improvements in Las Vegas.

Evaluation of Boulder, CO, SmartRegs Ordinance and Better Buildings Programs

Author(s)
Arena Lois,
Vijayakumar Gayathri
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report summarizing CARB's analysis of Boulder, Colorado's SmartRegs ordinance in the existing home market.

Evaluation of Humidity Control Options in Hot-Humid Climate Homes

Author(s)
Winkler Jon,
Christensen Dane,
Fang Xia
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study that utilizes EnergyPlus equipped with the moisture capacitance model to analyze the indoor relative humidity in three home types.

Evaluation of Northern Illinois Residential Retrofit Delivery Practices

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Kerr Ryan,
Rowley Patricia
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA,
CNT Energy,
Elevate Energy,
Future Energy Enterprises,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document reviewing four cold-climate northern Illinois energy efficiency retrofit programs to identify practices, tools, and approaches to streamline and reduce costs of comprehensive retrofits, and to improve the consistency of audit and retrofit delivery practices across different programs.

Example Procedures for Developing Acceptance-Range Criteria for BESTEST-EX

Author(s)
Judkoff Ron,
Polly Benjamin,
Bianchi Marcus V A,
Neymark Joel
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
J. Neymark & Associates
Publication Date
Document providing an example procedure for establishing acceptance-range criteria to assess results from software undergoing BESTEST-EX.

Expert Meeting Report: Achieving the Best Installed Performance from High-Efficiency Residential Gas Furnaces

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting identifying installation practices that provide the best installed efficiency for residential gas furnaces, explain how AFUE and field efficiency can differ, and investigate the impact of installation practices on the efficiency and long-term durability of the furnace.

Expert Meeting Report: Simplified Space Conditioning Strategies for Energy Efficient Houses

Author(s)
Stecher Dave
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting held to discuss simplified space conditioning systems in low load homes, including the relationship between advanced thermal enclosures, space conditioning systems and comfort.

Expert Meeting Report: Windows Options for New and Existing Homes

Author(s)
Rothgeb Stacey
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Expert meeting report aimed at a greater understanding of the windows research that Building America partners and national laboratories are engaged in to help professionals and consumers choose best practice strategies.

Expert Meeting: Optimized Heating Systems Using Condensing Boilers and Baseboard Convectors

Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Expert meeting held to review and discuss results and future plans for research to improve the performance of hydronic heating systems using condensing boilers and baseboard convectors.

External Insulation of Masonry Walls and Wood Framed Walls

Author(s)
Baker Peter
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study developing baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2 in. to 8 in.) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls.

Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats

Author(s)
Sachs Olga,
Tiefenbeck Verena,
Duvier Caroline,
Qin Angela,
Cheney Kate,
Akers Craig,
Roth Kurt
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study evaluating a low-cost and scalable way to reduce heating energy consumption using the energy-saving features of programmable thermostats (i.e., automatic daytime and nighttime setbacks).