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Library

Explore this extensive library of building science guidance including research reports from DOE’s Building America program as well as hundreds of other articles, fact sheets, webpages, and reference documents related to constructing and renovating homes.

Showing 51 - 100 of 166 results:

DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
Fact sheet poster describing benefits and qualification of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) certified Zero Energy Ready Homes and providing eight examples of certified homes.

Don’t Try Building Hugel Swales

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Spirko Jack
·
Organization(s)
Permaculture Research Institute
Description
Article describing the difference between swales and hugels (berms used to create soil from woody debris).

Energy Renovations Insulation - A Guide for Contractors to Share with Homeowners, Volume 17

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
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.

Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building, Third Printing

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Vieira Robin K,
Sheinkopf Kenneth G,
Sonne Jeffrey K
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Document talking about the topic Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building.

ETW: Wall - Double Stud with Spray Foam Wall Construction

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
·
Organization(s)
BSC
Description
Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Evaluation of Cellular Shades in the PNNL Lab Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sullivan Greg P,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental setup and results of field studies on using interior cellular shading attachments to reduce solar heat gain in summer and reduce heat loss in winter.

Evaluation of Cellular Shades in the PNNL Lab Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Peterson Joseph M,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
Report describing the methods and results of a field evaluation of the energy performance of cellular shade window coverings.

Evaluation of Exterior Shades at PNNL Lab Homes and Occupied Field Sites

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Cort Katherine A,
Hunt Walter E
·
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Description
DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental setup and results of field studies on using exterior fabric shading attachments to reduce solar heat gain, reduce glare, and improve comfort.

Evaluation of Interior Cellular Shades in a Residential Building

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Bhandari Mahabir,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Description
DOE-sponsored report describing a study investigating the energy savings potential of cellular shades in homes.

Field Trial of an Aerosol-Based Enclosure Sealing Technology

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Springer David,
Harrington Curtis
·
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Report presenting the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelop air leaks.

Flexible Residential Test Facility: Impact of Infiltration and Ventilation on Measured Cooling Season Energy and Moisture Levels

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Research report assessing the moisture and cooling load impacts of airtightness and mechanical ventilation in homes in hot-humid climates.

Flexible Roofing Facility: 2001 Summer Test Results

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Sherwin John S
·
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Description
Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of various roof types on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Flow-Through Assemblies, BSI-091

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article discussing flow-through assemblies of walls.

Foam Shrinks, and Other Lessons, PA-1201

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.

For Homes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center
·
Organization(s)
FSEC
Description
Website with information for consumers about solar thermal systems for homes.

FORTIFIED Home Inside FORTIFIED

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Website providing resources for roofers to construct high-wind, hurricane, and hail-resistant roofs from IBHS Fortified program.

Garage Performance Testing

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Health Canada,
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
·
Organization(s)
CMHC,
Environment Canada
Description
Results from a research program testing airtightness, implications of air leakage and contaminant reduction over the garage-to-house interface.

General PV Specification

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
·
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Description
Brochure on specifications for PV systems.

General Solar Thermal Specification

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb
·
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Description
Brochure on specifications for solar thermal systems.

Geospatial Data Science

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
NREL
Description
A website providing geospatial data , tools, and maps including data on the U.S. solar resources for solar power.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Fact sheet defining a grid-interactive efficient building and its benefits.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
·
Organization(s)
DOE
Description
Website highlighting the DOE Building Technologies Office Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Initiative, including technical reports, other publications, resources, and presentations.

Heat Island Group - Berkeley Lab

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Heat Island Group,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

Heat Island Group: Resources

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Heat Island Group,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
LBNL
Description
LBNL webpage providing resources and tools related to cool technologies, including the SRI calculator and the DOE Cool Roof Calculator.

Heat your Water with the Sun

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
NREL
Description
Provides consumers with general information on solar water heating systems and how to select a contractor.

Home Power

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sanchez
·
Organization(s)
Home Power
Description
Web article about solar site assessment.

How Do Buildings Stack Up?, BSI-075

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article describing the stack effect in buildings.

How to Build a Zero Electric Utility Cost House

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E
·
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy,
ACEEE
Description
Report presenting construction methods, building products, appliances and equipment of four single-family houses that achieve dramatic energy reductions and approach “net zero energy” use.

How To: Mounting Solar on Sips

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sughrue Patrick
·
Organization(s)
Premier SIPS Structural Insulated Panels,
Home Power Magazine
Description
A structural insulated panel (SIP) roof has no embedded lumber in the structure, and therefore nothing substantial for attaching PV array and solar hot water mounts. Single or double lumber splines could be put into the panels, or I-joists at 4-foot intervals could be added.

Hybrid Inverter Comparison Chart

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Clean Energy Reviews
·
Organization(s)
CER
Description
Website providing comparison charts and reviews of hybrid inverters for solar power systems.

Introduction to Buildings Systems Performance: Houses that Work II

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
·
Organization(s)
BSC,
NREL
Description
Report that describes BSC's Houses That Work II (HTWII) climate-specific technical resource, beginning with an overall HTWII introduction and four sections explaining the four most important hygro-thermal climate regions: Hot-Humid, Mixed-Humid, Cold, and Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry.

Is Battery Storage Right for You?

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
·
Organization(s)
SMUD
Description
Webpage describing benefits of adding battery storage to homes and an estimation tool.

Mass Save Deep Energy Retrofit Builder Guide, GM-1302

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

Mastic Home Exteriors Installation Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Ply Gem Siding Group
·
Organization(s)
Ply Gem Siding Group
Description
Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Mea Culpa Roofs, BSI-083

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
·
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Description
Article describing methods for insulating and air sealing vented and unvented roofs in various climates zones.