Library

Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.

Research study documenting market-ready energy solutions to improve the efficiency of new affordable housing in the marine climate of Washington State.

Technical report describing the evaluation of four different ventilation strategies for providing make-up air in high-performance, new construction multifamily buildings in the Northeast, emphasizing the challenges posed by increasing airtightness standards and the variability of system performance...

Report describing research that helps inform best practices for air-sealing multifamily buildings in the Northeast.

Webpage providing tips for installing and maintaining an evaporative cooler.

A webpage by the DOE on tips for saving energy with an evaporative cooler.

Image of design wet bulb temperatures in the U.S. and where evaporative cooling is most appropriate.

Guidebook meant to provide public officials with information on excessive heat event.

Webpage from Ready.gov explaining what qualifies as 'extreme heat', how to be safe during an extreme heat event, and how to prepare for extreme heat in homes

Article from Building Science Corporation on construction techniques for extreme heat conditions in Dubai and Las Vegas.

Technical report describing the impact of orientation on thermal comfort.

Journal article reporting on field experience of unvented cathedralized (UC) attics in several environments in the United States.

Report about field testing that characterizes the uniformity of room-to-room ventilation air distribution under various operating conditions by examining multi-zone tracer gas decay curves and calculating local age-of-air.

Technical report on a field validation study that utilizes low-cost indoor air quality sensors to assess a smart ventilation system's effectiveness in maintaining acceptable indoor humidity in low-load homes in humid environments, revealing that while the smart ventilation algorithm demonstrated...

Research report assessing the moisture and cooling load impacts of airtightness and mechanical ventilation in homes in hot-humid climates.

Research study outlining savings from reducing air infiltration, with and without the addition of mechanical ventilation, using two identical laboratory homes designed to model existing Florida building stock.

Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of various roof types on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Journal article describing energy impacts from shade trees and forests and solar heating and air infiltration.

Report analyzing the effect of global climate change on national interests, and providing climate predictions.

Article describing methods of smoke control in buildings.

Article describing issues with attic ventilation fans and why the state of Georgia residential code does not allow plug-in attic ventilation fans.

Document describing amendments to IECC 2015 to create the Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code.

Report about opportunities for ventilation when traditional methods are limited by weather conditions or by contaminants in the outdoor air.

Report explaining the issues and concerns with conventional ventilated crawlspaces and to outline prescriptive measures for improvements that will create healthier and more durable spaces.

Article describing tree preservation during the construction process.

Report describing the use of fresh air ventilation systems to eliminate the formation of icicles and ice dams along the eaves of roofs.

Report about indoor air quality related to indoor mold growth.

EPA webpage explaining the heat island effect and providing links to related content.

LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

LBNL webpage providing resources and tools related to cool technologies, including the SRI calculator and the DOE Cool Roof Calculator.

Federal webpage providing information regarding extreme heat and health for the United States.

Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.

Factsheet profiling a simple modification that can be made to window air-conditioners to improve their energy efficiency.

Website providing information on low-energy and standard cooling systems, with a focus on saving energy.

Website providing certified rating programs to help manufacturers, builders, contractors and homeowners compare performance of ventilation products for air flow, sound, and other performance characteristics.

Article describing the impact of stack effect on building performance, highlighting how pressure differences caused by temperature and height affect air infiltration and exfiltration, and detailing strategies like compartmentalization and distributed mechanical systems to manage airflow and maintain...

Article from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

Article describing considerations for choosing a room-level air cleaner to improve indoor air quality.

Article from Washington Post on passive cooling measures for homes during extreme heat.

Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

Factsheet describing tips for building or renovating with a focus on disaster resistance.

Factsheet outlining how window attachments like cellular shades, roller shades, storm windows with low-emissivity coatings, and solar screens are low-cost steps that can be implemented to keep homes cool in the summer.

Paper providing a comprehensive overview of HVAC system design considerations and challenges specific to multifamily residential buildings, focusing on optimizing performance and addressing common issues.

Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

Publication describing the requirements and procedures for the certified performance ratings program for residential ventilation products administered by the Home Ventilating Institute.

Website providing an online directory of more than 3,600 residential ventilation products lisiting flowrates, sones, watts, and other performance metrics; all listed products have been tested by the Home Ventilating Institute.

The study described in this white paper is based on building energy modeling with an important focus on the indoor humidity impacts of ventilation.

Report documenting the results of a NYSERDA-funded research project to demonstrate the costs and benefits of a best practice systems approach to improving exhaust ventilation system performance in five multifamily buildings in New York State.