Library

Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

Blog article describing considerations for how to use trees for shading to reduce cooling energy demand.

City of Plymouth webpage providing information on the Plymouth Community Center Project.

Large scale simulation study investigating the effects of cool roofs and walls on buildings of various vintages across the U.S., with special attention given to California.

Research study identifying best practices of three successful high performance, custom home builders in the upper Midwest.

Database describing FEMA preparedness webinars including natural hazard preparedness.

Webpage describing steps homeowners can take to prepare their home and car for winter storms.

Fact sheet poster describing an online tool offered within the Building America Solution Center which provides construction guidance for builders and contractors in building and renovating homes to be more resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and wildfires, etc.

Webpage from DOE describing how to conserve energy and save money with a home energy audit.

Report covering reducing risk from flooding.

Report providing wildfire protection guidance for homeowners in California.

Report addressing flood, wind and seismic hazards and recommends several multi-hazard resistant foundation designs of manufactured homes.

Report presenting ways public housing authorities (PHAs) can develop packages of energy efficiency retrofit measures the PHAs can cost-effectively implement with their own staff in the normal course of housing operations at the time when units are refurbished between occupancies.

Document outlining the approach to quality assurance in the construction process as recommended by Building Science Corporation for new residential construction.

Fact sheet describing analysis of potential heating and cooling savings from radiant barriers in attics.

Searchable database of over 3,000 roofing products that have undergone solar reflectance and thermal emittance testing.

Searchable database of wall cladding and coating products that have undergone solar reflectance and thermal emittance testing.

Research study about two test homes that are examined with the goal of providing case studies that could be applied to other similar New England homes.

App developed by HUD to assist homeowners with lead paint and other hazards common to older homes.

Guidance document describing urban heat islands, what they are, how they form, why we care, and including some strategies to reduce them.

Remodeling Magazine website.

Document containing some of the basic characteristics for energy performance, durability, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality that should be met in all high performance homes.

A free tool used to calculate the required minimum flow rate of dwelling-unit ventilation.

Report describing a study using parametric computer simulations of 112 single-family and 63 multi-family residential building prototypes to quantify the contributions of building components such as roofs, walls, windows, infiltration, outside air, lighting, equipment, and people to the aggregate...

Report describing how modification of model specifications to include guidance on energy efficiency measures can create a greater level of consistency in executing energy efficiency retrofit measures across the multiple regions where a developer may work.

Report describing research efforts focused on examining the audit reports for quality, comprehensiveness, and consistency.

Report on air-sealing programs for energy-efficiency retrofits.

Report about a tool developed to enable users to compare a typical 1970s ranch home against an IECC 2009 code-compliant home of the same configuration and against the 70s base case plus retrofits.

Report about a deep energy retrofit Cool Energy House.

Information sheet describing tankless hot water heating systems in existing homes.

Information sheet describing solar hot water systems in existing homes.

Information sheet about envelope and roof moisture control retrofit for a home.

Guidance from HUD on how to restore homes following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Guidance from HUD on how to restore homes following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Webpage discussing the characteristics of sunlight and how cool roofs work to reduce solar heat gain.

Report from FEMA describing techniques for floodproofing structures.

Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.

Report describing construction of test homes in Atlanta, GA meeting Building America savings targets and serving as a basis of design for other homes Martin Dodson plans to build within the Serenbe community.

Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, and analysis that occurred before, during, and just after the actual retrofit of the Bay Ridge project.

Report evaluating the renovation of a 5,800-ft2, multiuse facility located in St. Petersburg, on the west coast of central Florida, in the hot-humid climate.

Study conducted to help determine cost-effective solutions for heating and cooling houses that are designed to be energy efficient.

Paper describing the development and testing of an affordable net-zero energy house in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Technical report providing site selection guidance for installation of small wind turbines.

Fact sheet outlining the research behind how smart ventilation controls boost energy efficiency and indoor air quality, including research findings from seasonal temperature, timer, and real-time weather-based controls showing that all three systems showed potential for energy savings while...

Document providing incident solar radiation data and window overhang sizing guidance for multiple locations across the U.S.

Research study presenting a unique opportunity to both identify and evaluate deep retrofit measures that are practical and potentially cost effective for the retrofit market, as well as review the cost effectiveness of the Passive House design approach for achieving energy savings in deep retrofits.

Spreadsheet tool that computes solar reflectance index (SRI) and roof surface temperature based on solar reflectance and thermal emittance using ASTM standard E 1980.

Standard that defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential buildings; published in the year 2019, and is available for preview and purchase at the...

Standard that describes the minimum requirements for residential buildings to achieve acceptable indoor air quality via dwelling-unit ventilation, local mechanical exhaust, and source control. This version of the standard was published in the year 2022, and is available for preview and purchase at...

Paper describing landscaping influences on heat gain through shading, infiltration shielding, and microclimate creation for nearby buildings.