Skip to main content

Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 1 - 25 of 25

Improving The Passive Survivability of Residential Buildings During Extreme Heat Events in the Pacific Northwest

Author(s)
Rempel Alexandra,
Danis Jackson,
Rempel Alan,
Fowler Michael,
Mishra Sandipan
Organization(s)
Applied Energy,
National Science Foundation,
NSF
Publication Date
Study using simulations to understand the impact that shading and natural ventilation would have had on the survivability of non-air-conditioned buildings during the 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest.

Home Cooling Systems

Author(s)
Energy Saver
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Website providing information on low-energy and standard cooling systems, with a focus on saving energy.

Natural Ventilation

Author(s)
Energy Saver
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
DOE Energy Saver webpage providing a brief summary of natural ventilation for houses.

Passive Design

Author(s)
Green Home Technology Center
Organization(s)
Ohio State University Extension,
OSU
Publication Date
Website providing guidance on passive heating, cooling, and lighting methods.

The Corsi-Rosenthal Box

Author(s)
Burnes Roberta
Organization(s)
Kentucky Department of Air Quality
Publication Date
Presentation describing how to make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box for air cleaning.

Passive Solar Design

Author(s)
Williams College
Organization(s)
Williams College
Publication Date
Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

Passive Cooling

Author(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Organization(s)
Smarter Homes NZ
Publication Date
Article from Smarter Homes NZ on home building techniques that incorporate passive cooling.

Sustainable Living Series

Author(s)
Office of Sustainability
Organization(s)
Washington University St. Louis
Publication Date
Presentation by the Washington University in St. Louis Office of Sustainability on saving energy.

Sustainable Development Guidelines

Author(s)
Gray Mike
Organization(s)
Town of Clarkdale
Publication Date
Presentation on sustainable development including water conservation, passive solar, daylighting, natural ventilation, and land use.

Cool Solutions: The Whole House Fan

Author(s)
Mott-Smith John
Organization(s)
City of Davis,
State of California
Publication Date
Article describing the use of whole-house fans to provide cooling in the region surrounding Sacramento, CA.

Plant for the Sun!

Author(s)
Forestry and Natural Resources
Organization(s)
Purdue University
Publication Date
Blog article describing considerations for how to use trees for shading to reduce cooling energy demand.

Energy Savings Potential of Radiative Cooling Technologies

Author(s)
Fernandez Nick,
Wang Weimin,
Alvine Kyle J,
Katipamula Srinivas
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Technical report evaluating the energy savings potential of radiative cooling technologies, particularly photonic 'selective emittance' materials.

Team Negawatt

Author(s)
Duarte Carlos,
Gandhi Priya,
Kim Antony,
Landsman Jared,
Santos Luis,
Tepfer Sara,
Wang Taoning
Organization(s)
Center for the Built Environment,
CBE,
University of California Berkeley,
UC Berkeley
Publication Date
Presentation on urban land use and sustainable building design.

Designing Houses That Keep Their Cool

Author(s)
Wilson Alex
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Article from Green Building Advisor on strategies to take when building homes to reduce the need for air conditioning, including insulation, windows, site selection, and roofing.

Night Ventilation Cooling Compliance Option

Author(s)
California Statewide Utility Codes and Standards Program
Organization(s)
California Public Utilities Commission,
CPUC
Publication Date
Document describing recommended modeling rules, potential compliance credits, and eligibility criteria for residential night ventilation cooling systems for California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards.

Indirect/Passive Air-Flow Systems

Author(s)
Kang Bhujon,
Lutz-Carillo Sky
Organization(s)
University of Texas
Publication Date
Report detailing natural ventilation and passive airflow systems.

Attic Venting, Attic Moisture, and Ice Dams

Author(s)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Organization(s)
CMHC,
Government of Canada
Publication Date
Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.

Passive Cooling

Author(s)
Cook Jeffrey,
Martin Marlo,
Chandra Subrato,
Yellott John,
Labs Kenneth,
Clark Gene
Organization(s)
MIT Press,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
MIT
Publication Date
Book describing passive cooling techniques from a technical and academic perspective.

Cooling with Ventilation

Author(s)
Chandra Subrato,
Houston Michael M,
Fairey Philip W
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report providing recommendations to builders regarding how to reduce cooling loads, use air-circulation fans, natural ventilation, window and building design for natural ventilation, and whole-house fans.