Library

Manual describing design, detailing, material selection and troubleshooting for plaster, IEFs, and drywall, with information on continuous insulation, air barriers, rain screens, and ratings for fire and sound.

Pamphlet describing proper mulching around trees and problems and benefits associated with mulching.

Report providing wildfire protection guidance for homeowners in California.

Research project aimed to verify whether homes in the New Jersey HPwES program achieved 30% source energy savings, and if so, what measures were implemented to achieve them.

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

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

Fact sheet describing methods for flashing and air-sealing windows and doors.

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.

High-density sidewall cavity insulation can be a major comfort and savings boost. It saves energy by slowing both conductive and convective losses, but only if the right things are done and done right. This always requires site-specific thinking.

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

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.

Job Process sheet for the manufactured housing industry showing how to split and notch insulation batts to fit around electrical boxes and wiring in a factory production environment.

Standard describing a test method measuring air-leakage rates through a building envelope under controlled pressurization and de-pressurization which was published in the year 2019 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Standard that describes the principles for the design of a hot box apparatus and the minimum requirements for the determination of steady state thermal performance of building assemblies when exposed to controlled laboratory conditions. The current version of the standard was published in 2019, and...

Standard describing two techniques for measuring air leakage rates through a building envelope in buildings that may be configured to a single zone which was published in the year 2022 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Document describing correct construction of swales, designed to trap particulate pollutants (suspended solids and trace metals), promote infiltration, and reduce the flow velocity of storm water runoff.

Paper describing landscaping influences on heat gain through shading, infiltration shielding, and microclimate creation for nearby buildings.

Information sheet describing correct application of stucco.

Paper describing case studies on urban vegetation and greenways and their impacts on city climate and building performance.

Document describing the impacts of tree cover on property values.

Paper describing the effects of shade trees and their location on residential summertime electricity usage.

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 sumarizing a workshop to initiate a professional discussion about eventual benefits of the application of massive technologies in US buildings.

Training course describing how to incorporate trees into an energy-conserving landscape.

BSD-102 report providing guidance about whether to construct a vented or unvented attic based on hygro-thermal zone.

Report focusing on the performance and durability of unvented-cathedralized attics in hot-humid climates with both tile and asphalt shingle roofing.

Manual describing scientific, technical, and practical information needed to work with communities on urban forestry, including a section on trees and construction.

Document outlining a well-detailed drainage plane and flashings.

Webpage describing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and how to plan residential building to mitigate wildfire risks associated with building in the WUI.

Webpage from USFA compiling resources from across the U.S. on Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) information.

A report for homeowners and contractors providing specific recommendations for how to retrofit existing components of a home to withstand wildfire.

Website describing how wildfires spread and how fuels, weather, and topography influence fires.

Article describing ways to design and construct a building to resist wildfires.

A list of exterior building products and materials approved for use in wildland urban interface zoned homes. These products are non-combustible or ignition-resistant.

An example of wildland urban interface construction requirements for new buildings built in very high fire risk zones/areas.

Article describing the growth of the wildland urban interface in the United States from 1990 to 2010, expanding from 30.8 to 43.4 million homes (a 41% increase), and growing from 581,000 to 770,000 kM2 (33% growth), an increase of 189,000 km2, an area that is larger than Washington State.

Paper describing wind influences on air infiltration related energy losses for residential housing and the shielding effects of fences, adjacent structures, and vegetation.