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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 - 28 of 28

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Measure Packages

Author(s)
Baker J,
Yee S,
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Building Plans for Advanced Framing

Author(s)
Green Building Advisor
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Website providing CAD files and drawings of advanced framing details.

Comparison of Home Retrofit Programs in Wisconsin

Author(s)
Cunningham Kerrie,
Hannigan Eileen
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Publication Date
Research study comparing various retrofit models in Wisconsin to evaluate performance in terms of savings per home and program cost per home to assess the relative cost effectiveness of each program design.

Electric Energy Management in the Smart Home: Perspectives on Enabling Technologies and Consumer Behavior

Author(s)
Zipperer Adam,
Aloise-Young Patricia A.,
Suryanarayanan Siddharth,
Roche Robin,
Earle Lieko,
Christensen Dane,
Bauleo Pablo,
Zimmerle Daniel
Organization(s)
Colorado State University,
CSU,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
University of Technology of Belfort-Montbeliard,
UTBM,
Fort Collins Utilities
Publication Date
Journal article presenting a discussion of the state-of-the- art in electricity management in smart homes, the various enabling technologies that will accelerate this concept, and topics around consumer behavior with respect to energy usage.

Energy Retrofit Field Study and Best Practices in a Hot-Humid Climate

Author(s)
McIlvaine,
Sutherland,
Martin
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study examining efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in Florida.

Evaluation of Automated Model Calibration Techniques for Residential Building Energy Simulation

Author(s)
Robertson Joseph,
Polly Ben,
Collis Jon
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Colorado School of Mines
Publication Date
Research study simulation adapting and applies the general framework described in Building Energy Simulation Test for Existing Homes for self-testing residential building energy model calibration methods.

Evaluation of Retrofit Delivery Packages

Author(s)
Berman Mark,
Smith Pepper,
Porse Erik
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Report evaluating opportunities to improve and streamline delivery of residential retrofit measures.

Expert Meeting Report: Energy Savings You Can Bank On

Author(s)
Berman Mark,
Springer Jeremy,
Smith Pepper,
Porse Erik
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Publication Date
Expert meeting on the topic of performance guarantees and financing vehicles for energy efficiency upgrades.

Extension Foundation - A Partner to Cooperative Extension

Author(s)
Extension Foundation
Organization(s)
Extension Foundation,
Cooperative Extension System
Publication Date
Homepage for Extension Foundation, a partner of the Cooperative Extension System, whose goal is providing an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the best land-grant university minds across America.

Field Assessment of Energy Audit Tools for Retrofit Programs

Author(s)
Edwards J,
Bohac D,
Nelson C,
Smith I
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership,
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Report describing a project focused on the use of home energy ratings as a tool to promote energy retrofits in existing homes.

Greenbelt Homes Pilot Energy Efficiency Programs Phase 1 Summary: Existing Conditions and Baseline Energy Use

Author(s)
Wiehagen Joseph,
Del Bianco Marie,
Wood A
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Report detailing field walk-through evaluations, energy simulations for projected savings with exterior insulation upgrades, building envelope energy improvement cost estimates, and installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment and data.

Hood River Passive House

Author(s)
Hales
Organization(s)
WSU Extension Energy Programs,
PIRC
Publication Date
Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.

Mass Save Deep Energy Retrofit Builder Guide, GM-1302

Author(s)
Pettit,
Neuhauser,
Gates
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
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.

Residential Best Practices Criteria, Info-001

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
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.

Retrofitting the Southeast: The Cool Energy House

Author(s)
Zoeller,
Shapiro,
Vijayakumar,
Puttagunta
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report about a deep energy retrofit Cool Energy House.

Short-Term Test Results: Multifamily Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit

Author(s)
Lyons
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report summarizing commissioning, short-term testing, and analysis that occurred before, during, and just after the actual retrofit of the Bay Ridge project.

Strategy Guideline: Application of a Construction Quality Process to Existing Home Retrofits

Author(s)
Mallay David,
Del Bianco Marie
Organization(s)
Partnership for Home Innovation,
PHI,
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Report following the evolution of the construction quality process from its development for new homes to its application construction of a HPH with enhanced specifications, and its application in a crawlspace renovation.

Strategy Guideline: Partnering for High Performance Homes

Author(s)
Prahl
Organization(s)
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Document serving as a starting point that features initial tools and resources for teams to start collaborating to continually improve the energy efficiency and durability of new houses.

TaC Studios New Construction Test House

Author(s)
Butler T,
Curtis O,
Kim E,
Roberts S,
Stephenson R
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
Southface
Publication Date
Report evaluating a test home built in Atlanta, GA in the mixed-humid climate zone. The report outlines the features of the house, discusses the implementation of the energy efficient design, and presents the results of short-term characterization testing.

The Next Step Toward Widespread Residential Deep Energy Retrofits

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Saunders S,
Bordelon E,
Baden S,
Elam L,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
TexEnergy Solutions,
Residential Energy Services Network,
RESNET
Publication Date
Report providing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis inherent to different models as a way of thinking about the transition from traditional business models into a viable model for delivering deep energy retrofits.

The Performance House - A Cold Climate Challenge Home

Author(s)
Puttagunta,
Grab,
Williamson
Organization(s)
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report about seeking a 30% source energy savings targets over a comparable 2009 International Energy Conservation Code-built home in the cold climate zone, using simple measures.