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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 - 45 of 45

A Feasibility Study: Ductless Hydronic Distribution systems with Fan Coil Delivery

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
Backman Christine
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research study estimating potential energy savings relative to conventional ducted air distribution, and identifying equipment requirements, costs, and barriers.

Best Practices Case Study: Artistic Homes, Albuquerque, NM

Author(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Organization(s)
PNNL
Publication Date
Case study about Artistic Homes of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the first home builder in the United States to offer true net zero energy construction to the average home buyer on every home it builds.

Building America Expert Meeting: Combustion Safety

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Expert meeting focusing on identifying gaps and barriers in combustion safety that need to be addressed by future research, and to develop data-driven technical recommendations for code updates so that a common approach for combustion safety can be adopted by all members of the building energy...

Combustion Safety Simplified Test Protocol Field Study

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Cautley D,
Bohac D,
Francisco P,
Shen L,
Gloss S
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report on a simplified test procedure for combustion safety that is easier to implement and should produce fewer false positives than the previous procedure.

Conway Street Apartments: A Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.

Ducts in Conditioned Space

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Brochure with information about ducts in conditioned space.

Evaluating Moisture Control of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps in Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes in Climate Zone 2A

Author(s)
Martin Eric,
Withers Charles,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Chasar Dave,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
This report evaluates the performance of variable-capacity comfort systems, with a focus on inverter-driven, variable-capacity systems, as well as proposed system enhancements.

Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winters Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Report describing the evaluation and selection of ventilation systems for homes retrofitted for energy aesthetic and health/safety improvements in Las Vegas.

Evaluation of Northern Illinois Residential Retrofit Delivery Practices

Author(s)
Rowley P,
Kerr R,
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA,
CNT Energy,
Elevate Energy,
Future Energy Enterprises
Publication Date
Document reviewing four cold-climate northern Illinois energy efficiency retrofit programs to identify practices, tools, and approaches to streamline and reduce costs of comprehensive retrofits, and to improve the consistency of audit and retrofit delivery practices across different programs.

Field and Laboratory Testing of Approaches to Smart Whole-House Mechanical Ventilation Control

Author(s)
Martin,
Fenaughty,
Parker
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report outlining how Smart ventilation controls (SVC) balance energy consumption, comfort, and IAQ by optimizing mechanical ventilation operation to reduce the heating and/or cooling loads, improve management of indoor moisture, and maintain IAQ equivalence according to ASHRAE 62.2.

Field Test of Room-to-Room Uniformity of Ventilation Air Distribution in Two New Houses, RR-0602

Author(s)
Hendron Robert,
Rudd Armin,
Anderson Ren,
Barley Dennis,
Hancock Ed,
Townsend Aaron
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership
Publication Date
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.

Flexible Residential Test Facility: Impact of Infiltration and Ventilation on Measured Cooling Season Energy and Moisture Levels

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Kono Jamie E,
Vieira Robin K,
Fairey Philip W,
Sherwin John S,
Withers Charles,
Hoak David,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research report assessing the moisture and cooling load impacts of airtightness and mechanical ventilation in homes in hot-humid climates.

Flexible Residential Test Facility: Impact of Infiltration and Ventilation on Measured Heating Season Energy and Moisture Levels

Author(s)
Vieira,
Parker,
Fairey III,
Sherwin,
Withers,
Hoak
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
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.

Guide to Closing and Conditioning Ventilated Crawlspaces

Author(s)
Dickson
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
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.

Laboratory Evaluation of Energy Recovery Ventilators

Author(s)
Kosar
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Gas Technology Institute
Publication Date
Report targeting the growing number of homes utilizing deep retrofit measures and new construction practices to realize sufficiently lower infiltration levels that require mechanical ventilation as prescribed by ASHRAE Standard 62.2.

Measure Guideline: Passive Vents

Author(s)
Berger David,
Neri Robin
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report describing the use of passive vents as a source of outdoor air in multifamily buildings.

Measure Guideline: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
This document addresses adding—or improving—mechanical ventilation systems to existing homes. The purpose of ventilation is to remove contaminants from homes either directly or by dilution. This report discusses where, when, and how much ventilation is appropriate in a home, including some...

Measure Guideline: Ventilation Cooling

Author(s)
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
German Alea
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Guideline that provides information on properly applying, designing, and installing mechanical ventilation cooling systems for homes located in located in hot-dry and cold-dry climates, as well as a means of understanding the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of these systems.

Moisture-Safe Unvented Wood Roof Systems, RR-1001

Author(s)
Straube,
Smegal,
Smith
Organization(s)
University of Waterloo,
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document describing a hygrothermal modeling study, including all of the US climate zones, a range of interior humidity levels and numerous arrangements and types of insulation.

Multifamily Ventilation Retrofit Strategies

Author(s)
Ueno Kohta,
Lstiburek Joseph,
Bergey Daniel
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study examining the performance of existing multifamily ventilation central systems and explored alternative solutions in retrofit situations.

Preliminary Performance Evaluation of a Near Zero Energy Home in Gainesville, Florida

Author(s)
Parker Danny,
Sherwin John,
Hoak David,
Chandra Subrato,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report reviewing the design of a net zero energy home in Gainesville, Florida and then focusing on the first six months of energy performance of the project home during the second half of 2008.

READ THIS: Before You Ventilate, GM-0604

Author(s)
Rudd Armin
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document reviewing ventilation strategies for different climate zones that also includes schematic drawings and photographs of various ventilation installations.

Reservoir Claddings

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet about reservoir claddings.

Review of Residential Ventilation Technologies

Author(s)
Russell,
Sherman,
Rudd
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
Document reviewing current and potential ventilation technologies for residential buildings with particular emphasis on North American climates and construction.

Sealed Combustion, Info-601

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet about sealing combustion appliances to ensure good indoor air quality.

Sunnyvale Marine Climate Deep Retrofit

Author(s)
German Alea,
Siddiqi Aqdus,
Dakin Bill
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Research project evaluating the pre-and post-retrofit energy consumption of a marine climate retrofit, compare actual energy use to original predictions, and identify opportunities for cost savings in other similar retrofits in this climate.

Vapor Control Layer Recommendations, Info-310

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet providing recommendations on the installation of vapor control layers.

Ventilating Your Home

Author(s)
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Information sheet about proper ventilation and air sealing.

Whole House Mechanical Ventilation: A South Chicago Case Study

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report summarizing results from a case study about whole-house mechanical ventilation systems in Chicago.

Wisdom Way Solar Village

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Publication Date
Article describing sustainable community development of near zero energy homes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.