Library

Reference investigating the strategy of using buried and/or encapsulated ducts to reduce duct thermal losses in residential buildings.

Report describing findings from a multifamily test home focusing on the combination of energy measures that are feasible, affordable and suitable for multifamily construction in cold climates.

Report about City of Meriden Housing Authority's (MHA) collaboration with Jonathon Rose Companies to complete a gut renovation of 126 residential units in the Chamberlain Heights retrofit project.

Case study characterizing the framing factors for the exterior walls, ceilings, and floors of 180 wood-framed low-rise residential buildings across the United States.

Article describing correct ways to attach rigid insulation to the exterior of commercial and residential buildings.

Installation manual for installing metal panel siding.

An article illustrating common errors found in fiber cement siding installations. Many of these errors and poor flashing examples apply to siding materials beyond fiber cement siding.

Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.

Attachment or installation of foundations, floors, roofs, insulation, utilities, and finishes to concrete masonry walls as well as on special tools and fasteners available for use with concrete masonry.

Report covering insulating crawlspaces.

Article describing the process of constructing concrete walls

Article about how mortar droppings during the installation of a brick veneer can clog the weep holes in the wall assembly causing moisture damage. The article also illustrates products that can be installed in the ventilated cavity to mitigate this problem.

Part I of the Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x6 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as exterior sheathing, gypsum board as interior sheathing, and a cladding system installed over WSP sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories in height.

The Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 in. thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low...

Article describing the difference between conditioned or unvented attics and unconditioned or vented attics.

Job Process sheet for the manufactured housing industry showing how to cut insulation batts to fit wall cavities in a factory production environment.

Report covering exterior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.

Conference paper describing the use of engineered rainscreen products to provide air flow and water drainage space in wall assemblies in residential and commercial buildings.

Article from The Home Energy Community of Practice on designing energy efficient homes in hot climate zones, including home orientation, window location, and roof design considerations.

Information sheet providing information about investigating the thermal effect of staggering the inner and outer wall studs on double walls in new construction.

Report covering the rainwater performance of building assemblies.

Report on how airtighness changes as houses age.

Webpage providing details of an experimental earth tube installation at the Clean Energy Exhibition in Georgia.

Guide provides homeowners ways to prepare for an earthquake and protect a home against earthquake damage.

The objective of this research was to quantify the field performance of wood-frame walls clad with a variety of common claddings in a mixed-humid climate.

Presentation about results from an insulating concrete form energy efficiency study in Knoxville, TN.

Information sheet with details on a building enclosure designed for Albuquerque, NM, as an example for building enclosures built for hot-dry and mixed-dry climates.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet that summarizes Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction including advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing truss wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Report exploring feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25% source energy savings.

Report about the Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with urgently-needed, cost effective methods for meeting emerging energy code requirements.

Report about an expert meeting focused on issues surrounding cladding attachment and performance of walls with exterior insulating sheathing.

Expert Meeting about interior insulation retrofit of mass masonry wall assemblies held on July 30, 2011.

Report that demonstrates the durability, constructability, and cost-effectiveness of the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system for new construction housing projects in compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, addressing moisture risk management and high-performance envelope...

Report on high-R wall design called extended plate and beam that uses foam sheathing insulation with wall framing.

Fact sheet describing the Extended Plate Wall (EPW) a system that incorporates a 2-inch layer of foam plastic insulative sheathing within the framing for top and bottom plates, streamlining air sealing, window and door installation, weather resistive barrier application, and cladding attachment for...

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings.

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.

Webpage from LSU AgCenter answering frequently asked questions after gutting a flooded home, including mitigation strategies for future floods.

Information sheet about what length screws should be used, and how closely to space the screws when fastening furring strips to a foam-sheathed wall.

An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.

Article explaining what a continuous load path is and the key connection points that make it up.

Research study evaluating the dynamic heat transmission characteristics through two identical Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall assemblies in Ottawa, Canada.

Report to understand the long-term moisture performance of unvented roof assemblies with fibrous insulation.

A guide for designers, architects, engineers, and fire experts on how to design rainscreen and ventilated cavities such that they don’t contribute to the spread of a fire.

Article discussing flow-through assemblies of walls.

Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.

Information sheet with manufacturer specifications about insulated concrete forms.