Library

Document explaining requirements and recommendations for defensible space, with a focus on sloped vegetation.

Webpage describing embodied carbon through definition, significance to climate, and importance to policymaking.

Document providing descriptions of the many insulation options available to homeowners, along with guidance on where, when, and how to install insulation throughout your house.

Paper describing the effects of tree shade on residential electricity consumption and energy savings in summer and winter.

Report describing construction site erosion and sediment control practices recommended and required by a county planning department.

Guidance documents describing Erosion Control Blankets (ECBs) use as a construction material that provides temporary cover and support for establishing vegetation on bare soil. ECB holds topsoil and seed (typically grass) in place to minimize erosion during germination of seed.

Factsheet describing steps builders should take to reduce erosion and control sediment on construction sites during home construction.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Document explores alternatives to riprap on banks and waterways to mitigate bankside erosion in the Pacific Northwest.

Online geospatial map with interactive viewer showing flood risk areas and base flood elevations

A address searchable geographic information system for visualizing the flood hazard of an address and its surrounding area.

Report comparing a high-performance house with a code-built control home.

Report presenting the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelop air leaks.

Guidelines from the University of California Cooperative Extension on how fires spread, how homes typically burn, and what homeowners can do to prepare their homes for wildfire season.

Articles, research, case studies, and more outlining considerations for planning and installation of a fire-protection system.

Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the vulnerability of different deck setups and materials.

Article from CAL FIRE on fire-resistant landscaping to mitigate ignition of homes.

List of guidelines for plants and their fire resistance from FIRESafe Marin.

Five step plan from the Tahoe Fire & Fuels team outlining how to create an effective defensible space for wildfire protection. Recommendations include siting for homes on slopes.

Research report assessing the moisture and cooling load impacts of airtightness and mechanical ventilation in homes in hot-humid climates.

Article discussing flow-through assemblies of walls.

Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.

Journal article describing energy impacts from shade trees and forests and solar heating and air infiltration.

Website providing resources for roofers to construct high-wind, hurricane, and hail-resistant roofs from IBHS Fortified program.

Article describing a numerical model that can be used to size foundation heat exchanger (FHX) systems.

The FPC Monitoring project has evaluated radiant barrier systems (RBS) as a new potential DSM program.

Results from a research program testing airtightness, implications of air leakage and contaminant reduction over the garage-to-house interface.

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

Article describing tree preservation during the construction process.

Information sheet about air barriers.

Web article about solar site assessment.

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

Article describing the stack effect in buildings.

Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

Report outlining results from a 2005 hygrothermal pilot study in the South.

Wildfire guidance for homes located in the wildland urban interface, focused on site design and individual pieces of the home.

Ignition resistant residential construction and landscaping guidelines from FireSafe Montana.

Article from University of Arizona on keeping homes cool during extreme heat, both personal and system changes.

Guide describing landscaping tips for healthy and regionally-based gardens, including maintenance, mulching, water efficiency, and plant resources.

Paper describing vegetation impacts on cooling load for buildings.

Guide for homeowners describing actions they can take to modify their home and the surrounding site to create a survivable space to reduce the amount of damage a home would likely experience during a wildfire.

A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.

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.

Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Article describing methods for insulating and air sealing vented and unvented roofs in various climates zones.

Paper describing energy savings in space cooling from shading condenser units.

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

The next generation of building enclosures is a key step toward achieving high-performance goals through decreasing energy load demand and enabling advanced space-conditioning systems. Yet the adoption of high-R enclosures and particularly high-R walls has been a slow-growing trend because...

Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Article describing mulching with lawn clippings.