Library

Brochure detailing the guidelines, recommendations, and preferences of the City of Burnsville for citizens installing solar photovoltaics.

DOE report characterizing the installed base of windows and window coverings, and how users operate window coverings in order to enable precise quantification of energy savings.

Information sheet describing solar PV upgrade for an existing homes.

Document discussing changes in testing the annual performance ratings for solar water heaters.

Fact sheet describing proper roof sheathing installation and illustrating fastening methods that will enhance the durability of a building in high-wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Recovery advisory guide providing guidance on existing code requirements as well as recommend best practices for attachment design, installation, and maintenance of rooftop solar panels to increase panel wind resistance in the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria.

Webpage discussing the characteristics of sunlight and how cool roofs work to reduce solar heat gain.

Web page describing the basics of how to size and build a battery bank for electricity storage.

Paper describing the development and testing of an affordable net-zero energy house in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Website article describing the way solar panels are coupled to AC and DC battery energy storage systems.

Report providing a synopsis of a project to evaluate the performance of a roof-integrated solar water heating system.

SEIA resources page.

Tool determining the most economical and efficient photovoltaic array location and position.

Guidelines to assist builders in designing and constructing homes equipped with a set of features that make the installation of solar energy systems after the completion of the home’s construction easier and less expensive.

The Solar Rating & Certification Corporation is the leading solar heating and cooling product certification program in North America, certifying to the requirements of International and Uniform Codes and Standards

Report identifying the important aspects of building design and construction to enable installation of solar photovoltaic and heating systems at some time after the building is constructed.

A research paper exploring the design, installation, repair and maintenance of solar water and pool heating technologies.

Website describing how solar water heaters -- also called solar domestic hot water systems -- can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home.

The RERH specifications and checklists take a builder and a project design team through the steps of assessing a home’s solar resource potential and defining the minimum structural and system components needed to support a solar energy system.

Outlines the minimum criteria for a solar water heating system installed by a Solar Water Heating Program trade ally under Energy Trust of Oregon’s Solar Water Heating Program.

Webpage describing the basics of solar plus storage operations on homes.

California Energy Commission report presenting the concept of cool walls and providing guidelines for their building- and climate-appropriate use to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Handheld solar site analysis tool capturing whole-horizon images for a site and generating shading analysis reports.

Guide describing the installation of windows in walls that have foam plastic insulating; guide provides several methods for attaching, supporting, and flashing windows in walls with rigid foam sheathing. (Note: The link only goes to the table of contents for the guide, the full guide can be...

The 2017 publication update to the SEAOC Wind Committee and SEAOC Solar Photovoltaic Systems Sub-Committee's 2012 report.

Conference paper describing testing of the performance of fasteners used to attach rigid foam insulation to the exterior of walls.

Information sheet describing correct application of stucco.

Discussion of building sheathing.

FSEC certification and testing page for solar systems.

DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental design and results of testing the energy performance of Hunter Douglas double-cell cellular shades under various control schemes in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Lab Homes.

Report describing use of the Energy in Modular (EMOD) method to design, produce, and deliver affordable, net-zero energy, low-carbon, and healthier buildings through industrialized (factory) construction of modular buildings; modeling of whole buildings and subassemblies of components, pods, panels...

Article describing the evolution of the IRC to permit class 3 vapor retarders (latex paint) in walls coupled with exterior continuous insulation to allow drying and reduce condensation risk.

Case study about a structural sheathing product composed of enhanced EPS rigid foam with OSB adhered on one side.

Report on investigating the effectiveness of using solar thermal water heaters to address heat losses from piping while recirculating water in multifamily buildings.

Web page explaining what a cool exterior wall is and how they work, as well as benefits to their use and links to research studies.

Web page explaining what a cool roof is and how they work, as well as benefits to their use and links to research studies.

DOE presentation describing a project to study window attachments.

Fact sheet providing information on window attachments and their potential for improving energy efficiency.