Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the factors that can lead to inefficient hot water distribution systems in homes.
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 51 - 99 of 99
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA
Publication Date
Description
ENERGY STAR webpage describing how a heat pump water heater works.
Organization(s)
Larson Energy Research,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the identification of barriers and proposed practical solutions for the design, installation, and market adoption of heat pump water heaters in new low-rise multifamily housing, focusing on studio and one-bedroom units.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Journal article presenting modeling of residential gas water heaters via dynamic simulation models to determine the effect of the pilot light on their annual energy consumption.
Organization(s)
Slipstream
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the performance, economics, space heating impacts, and user satisfaction of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) in the upper Midwest, based on a field study and survey of participants in the MECA HPWH incentive program.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing principles of insulating steam distribution and condensate return lines as an effective way to prevent energy loss.
Organization(s)
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the objective evaluation of space conditioning interactions between heat pump water heaters and home heating systems during winter 2016-2017, revealing a smaller than anticipated impact on space conditioning loads.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
This webpage provides an interactive walk-through of the installation of a heat pump water heater in a home in Massachusetts, including how-to videos of the installation, video interviews with the homeowners, installer, and utility program partners, and visual tours of the home before and after...
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing results of testing emerging combo water heating technologies under controlled laboratory operations, that differentiate the performance of the various packaged equipment configurations being offered.
Laboratory Testing of Heat Pump Water Heater Performance: Impact of Airflow and Space Configurations
Organization(s)
Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
PG&E,
Energy Transition Coordinating Council,
ETCC
Publication Date
Description
Report describing research conducted to support California’s Title 24, Part 6 Building Energy Efficiency Standards by analyzing the impact of installation location and ventilation on heat pump water heater (HPWH) performance, emphasizing the need for proper installation to maximize efficiency...
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report identifying the target market for solar water heaters and potential pathways and cost/performance targets that must be met for these systems to realize large energy savings.
Organization(s)
DOE,
NEEP
Publication Date
Description
This webpage provides an interactive walk-through of the installation of a heat pump water heater in a home in Maine, including how-to videos of the installation, video interviews with the homeowners, installer, and utility program partners, and visual tours of the home before and after installation...
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Document pertaining to design and application guidance for combination space and tankless domestic hot water heating systems used in residential buildings, based on field evaluation, testing, and industry meetings.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the installation and operation of forced-air heating and domestic hot water combi systems in residential homes.
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Document developed to help residential builders and retrofitters transition from tank-type water heaters to tankless water heaters.
Organization(s)
NMIC
Publication Date
Description
Web resource that lays out the pre-work considerations, methods and finishes for installing mechanical insulation.
Organization(s)
ARBI,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Study in which a central heat pump water heater system was monitored in detail and used to create a model for assessing similar systems in various climates.
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report providing information to researchers, utility program managers, and building owners interested in controlling heating energy waste and improving resident comfort.
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Description
Article investigating how a linear input/output relationship can be used as a simple model of the performance of a combination hydronic heating system over heating only, DHW only, and combined loads.
Organization(s)
New Buildings Institute,
NBI
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the key findings from the first third-party field validation of 120-volt heat pump water heater (HPWH) technology, addressing the significant barriers to their adoption and emphasizing their potential role in reducing carbon emissions from residential water heating.
Organization(s)
Larson Energy Research,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing a laboratory assessment on the performance of Rheem 120-volt heat pump water heaters (HPWH), aimed at identifying optimal installation locations for these new "plug-in" models based on comprehensive testing under various conditions.
Organization(s)
Building America Research Alliance,
BARA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
AWE
Publication Date
Description
Website with information and research about residential hot water distribution systems.
Organization(s)
North Carolina State University
Publication Date
Description
Brochure with information on residential solar hot water systems.
Organization(s)
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
A retrofit sheet providing information on elevating and securing water heaters to protect against damage during a flood.
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Minnesota,
UMIN
Publication Date
Description
Report presenting results of a laboratory experiment studying combi systems as a mode to eliminate safety issues associated with natural draft appliances.
Organization(s)
CARB,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet describing tankless hot water heating systems in existing homes.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Solar Rating & Certification Corporation,
SRCC,
Thermal Energy System Specialists,
TESS
Publication Date
Description
Document discussing changes in testing the annual performance ratings for solar water heaters.
Organization(s)
Washington State Department of Health
Publication Date
Description
A fact sheet providing homeowners with guidance on properly securing water heaters to prevent them from tipping in an earthquake.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report comparing the performance of seven differing types of residential water heating systems in a side-by-side test configuration over a full year period.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
A website providing information on how to properly size a water heater based on tank size, volume, peak hour demand and other factors.
Organization(s)
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Website providing consumers with resources to find, select and install heat pump water heaters.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Report providing a synopsis of a project to evaluate the performance of a roof-integrated solar water heating system.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Website describing how solar water heaters -- also called solar domestic hot water systems -- can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home.
Organization(s)
Energy Trust of Oregon
Publication Date
Description
Outlines the minimum criteria for a solar water heating system installed by a Solar Water Heating Program trade ally under Energy Trust of Oregon’s Solar Water Heating Program.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report about proper water heater selection developed to provide step-by-step procedures for evaluating preferred cost-effective options for energy efficient water heater alternatives based on local utility rates, climate, and anticipated loads.
Organization(s)
Rheem
Publication Date
Description
Information for properly sizing gas lines for use with tankless water heaters and other gas appliances.
Organization(s)
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy,
ACEEE,
Cadeo Group LLC,
Ecotope Inc.
Publication Date
Description
Conference paper summarizing the relative performance of currently available Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) models, the energy implications of different installation locations (garage, basement, or conditioned space) and ducting configurations (exhaust ducting, full ducting, or no ducting), as well...
Organization(s)
Ecotope,
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy,
ACEEE
Publication Date
Description
Presentation report detailing Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) interaction with space conditioning systems in real-life test scenarios that explains some of the problems arising from these interaction and information that can be used to make the system more efficient.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report on investigating the effectiveness of using solar thermal water heaters to address heat losses from piping while recirculating water in multifamily buildings.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Research study comparing TRNSYS Type 604 pipe model against laboratory pipe heat loss test data and detailed field monitoring data.
Organization(s)
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
Publication Date
Description
State building energy code for the State of Washington.
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Description
A info sheet providing information on ENERGY STAR certified water heaters and the various criteria water heaters must undergo to become ENERGY STAR certified, including metrics on efficiency and performance.
Organization(s)
WSDOH
Publication Date
Description
A preparedness guide guiding homeowners on how to secure an indoor home water heater safely to wall studs.
Organization(s)
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Website containing useful resources regarding central heat pump water heater systems.
Organization(s)
EPA,
WaterSense
Publication Date
Description
Guide designed to help builders better understand and meet the hot water delivery system criteria as specified in EPA's WaterSense New Home Specification.
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Description
Wepage providing information on ENERGY STAR certified gas tankless water heaters with information on how they cut water heating expenses as well as a product finder tool to find ENERGY STAR certified products.
Organization(s)
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Article about one way to deal with the cold-water surprise effect of tankless water heaters.