Library

2018 edition of code for residential buildings that creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less, bringing together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for one- and two-family residences.

Manual describing best practices or home construction in Alaska and northern climates.

Report describing the best practices for the safe, efficient, and compliant installation of residential air source heat pump water heaters (HPWH) in California, aligning with the state's climate goals and providing guidance for educators, installers, and industry stakeholders.

Document with the Quality Control Checklist developed as both a guide to assist in the transition to high performance home building, and as a simplified tool to be used as part of any builder's on-site quality control procedures.

Book describing Carpentry and Construction, Construction Materials, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Construction Equipment, Jobsite Safety, and Working Conditions, Building Design and Print reading, Inspections Survey Instruments and Operations, Foundation and Outdoor Slab Construction, Floor, Wall, and...

Article describing customer tip sheet and how ceiling fans are one of the most popular and generally well regarded of all home energy efficiency features.

Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.

Technical report describing the enhancement of energy efficiency in existing buildings through a systems approach, assessing airflow-focused retrofits for improved energy savings and indoor air quality, considering factors like air leakage, distribution system dynamics, duct leakage, and ventilation...

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.

Information sheet providing detail about hand fabrication of a one-piece straight duct from a 48" x 120" x 1" thick (1.22 m x 3.05 m x 25 mm) sheet where the total inside duct dimensions equals 112" (2.84 m) or less.

Journal article describing energy and cost savings potential from air sealing multifamily town homes.

Guide describing retrofit procedures for gable end roofs.

Report investigating the status of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry and technology in the United States, assembling GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate adoption of GHPs.

Resource that explains how water softeners work to reduce scale.

Report about measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers.

Article presenting the 2008 update on the 2006 details on when required hurricane mitigation retrofits are required and the cost cap on required hurricane mitigation retrofits.

Book providing project management guidance in maintaining satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied buildings undergoing renovation or construction.

Conference paper making the case that moving ducts to conditioned space saves energy, is practical for production builders (when accompanied by careful pre-planning), and creates significant andmarketable energy savings for homebuyers.

Webpage outlining important considerations when remodeling, including for maintaining healthy air and keeping radon, dirt, and moisture out.

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

Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

Technical report describing the Re-Side Right initiative by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Building America research team that proposes enhancing home efficiency during the re-siding process by incorporating an insulating layer that acts as both an air barrier and water resistive barrier...

Document presenting results from testing prototype HVAC duct system designs that would locate the entire length of duct work within the air and thermal barriers of the building envelope. These include one that incorporated a high-side supply register, one that utilized a single soffit located within...

The Retrofit Decision Tool is an online tool to help homeowners, multifamily building owners and contractors to start the conversation about which retrofits they can employ to achieve zero-carbon-alignment.

Standard covering the installation of fenestration products in new and existing construction, which was published in the year 2019, and is available for preview and purchase at the referenced link.

Specification covering the standard requirements for application of full thickness Portland cement-based plaster for exterior (stucco) and interior work. This standard was produced in the year 2022, and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link. There are also other versions of...

Specification covering the standard requirements for application of full thickness Portland cement-based plaster for exterior (stucco) and interior work. This standard was produced in the year 2023, and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link. There are also other versions of...

Fact sheet poster describing a DOE tool that walks homeowners through a series of simple questions to produce a list of retrofit recommendations to improve the energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and durability of the homeowners’ home, while also lowering their carbon footprint.

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

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...

Document describing the measured annual performance data from 12 recent-vintage very low energy homes in the US.

Guide presents mitigation measures in a Mitigation Package which combined set of retrofit measures that must be implemented for a house to provide a defined level of protection; identifies three successive Mitigation Packages: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Implementing the Mitigation Packages...