Library

Fact sheet providing an overview of the FEMA document Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings.

Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for New Homes.

Fact sheet summarizing the changes to the flood provisions in the 2012 I-Codes that appear in the 2015 edition.

Document describing the air leakage provisions of Appendix RA of the 2015 IECC (prepared for the State of Georgia to assist with compliance with their 2019 Energy Code).

Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.

Article describing methods for venting a vented attic and a roof assembly over an unvented attic.

Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.

Report describing how changing the air exchange rate of a home (the sum of the infiltration and mechanical ventilation airflow rates) affects the annual thermal conditioning energy.

Standard providing master specifications for closed cell, medium density spray polyurethane foam air barriers located in the non-accessible part of the wall.

Standard outlining materials and installation methods by using commercial building wraps.

Standard providing information about self-adhered sheet air barriers located in the non-accessible part of the wall and materials to bridge and seal air leakage pathways and gaps.

Standard outlining materials and installation methods for a liquid-applied vapor permeable air barrier systems located in the non-accessible part of the wall.

Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.

Vinyl siding estimating and installation guide for vinyl siding products.

A website explaining the process of sealing a home with Aeroseal & how the technology is used to seal holes in the air ducts and vents of the home.

Technical report describing the research behind a new aerosol-based sealing method, utilizing pressurization and a dispersed sealant fog, facilitated by a standard blower door, to automatically measure, locate, and seal air leaks in new homes in the United States, providing an efficient solution to...

Information on the control of air flow across building enclosures to control moisture damage, reduce energy losses, and ensure occupant comfort and health. A continuous, strong, stiff, durable and air impermeable air barrier system is required between the exterior and conditioned space to control...

Document reporting results from a study done to evaluate effects of automotive emissions from attached garages on the indoor environment.

Article describing how an airtight home shell helps achieve a tight envelope that is energy efficient and cost effective.

Article describing how to stop air leaks around the windows and doors of a home.

Manual describing best practices or home construction in Alaska and northern climates.

Website article interviewing the inventor of the Larsen truss, a history of its use, and a discussion of its advantages and disadvantages.

Article about different types of weather resistant barrier.

A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

Article describing air sealing and air barriers in buildings.

Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.

Technical report describing the thermal performance of 40 common building envelope details for mid- and high-rise buildings, including analyses to optimize energy efficiency and reduce thermal bridging.

Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.

SPFA website signup page to access SPFA documents.

Article from California Earthquake Authority on the benefits of retrofitting homes to withstand earthquake forces, with a focus on foundations, walls, and chimneys.

Document focusing on the design and wall components that contribute to a pressure equalized rain screen wall, including the frequency of the weep holes and other brick masonry rain screen wall requirements.

Report providing water management details for roof assemblies.

Presentation describing details for installing structural insulated panels (SIPs).

Report comparing a variety of roof insulating strategies to present their advantages and disadvantages according to several comparison criteria.

Guide describing methodologies for assessing and mitigating thermal bridging in building envelopes, featuring detailed performance data, interface solutions, and assembly-specific strategies for energy-efficient construction.

Article describing the control layers (air, thermal, and vapor barriers) needed to build homes successfully in very cold locations.

Document containing recommendations on how to brace roofs and gable end walls based on lessons learned from analyzing the destruction from hurricane Andrew.

An article discussing how different metal roof materials and attachment methods affect the ability of the roof to thermally expand and contract and the durability of different solutions.

News article from SFGate explaining and giving figures on how chimney failure is the most common type of damage to homes during an earthquake.

Study investigating measured cooling energy performance in side-by-side identical homes with varying roof types, including cool roof technologies.

Manual assisting architects, engineers, owners and roofing contractors for designing, specifying and installing roof tiles in areas of snow and ice.

Installation manual describing proper installation practices, industry standards and the code requirements of roofing tiles.

Installation manual outlining proper installation practices, industry standards and the code requirements of roofing tiles.

Report outlining how conditioned crawlspaces perform better than vented crawlspaces in terms of safety, health, comfort, durability and energy consumption.

ENERGY STAR webpage discussing the costs and benefits of cool roofs.