Library

Website providing technical documents of checklists, calculators, bulletin, modular home toolkit, standard details, and corrosion resistance requirements – map set; describing the requirements of the IBHS Fortified Home program to improve the disaster resistance of new and existing homes.

Website offering an online training that teaches disaster-resistant best practices for roofers.

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

A guideline containing fire sprinkler insulation requirements from the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.

Guide describing retrofit procedures for gable end roofs.

Guide describing how and where to install flashings in order to weatherproof a roof.

Brochure on specifications for PV systems.

Article describing techniques to air-seal townhouses and row houses.

Report describing the use of fresh air ventilation systems to eliminate the formation of icicles and ice dams along the eaves of roofs.

Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance to high wind and hail.

LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

LBNL webpage providing resources and tools related to cool technologies, including the SRI calculator and the DOE Cool Roof Calculator.

Information sheet about air barriers.

Brochure describing insulation and air-sealing details.

Document providing a roadmap to aid Habitat for Humanity affiliates in building high performing houses by using materials and techniques that are affordable, do not add any maintenance burden, and are volunteer friendly.

Best Practices document providing an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices.

Report containing 37 fact sheets that provide technical guidance and recommendations concerning the construction of coastal residential buildings.

Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.

Article describing the causes that form ice dams, as well as solutions for preventing future ice dams on roofs, focusing on air sealing to prevent hot air leakage.

Article describing the impact of stack effect on building performance, highlighting how pressure differences caused by temperature and height affect air infiltration and exfiltration, and detailing strategies like compartmentalization and distributed mechanical systems to manage airflow and maintain...

Article describing the stack effect in buildings.

Article from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

Information sheet presenting the correct methods for building an insulated cathedral ceiling.

Article from Washington Post on passive cooling measures for homes during extreme heat.

Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

A website providing a checklist of important areas to check when sealing holes inside and outside of the home to prevent entry by rodents and other outside pests.

Checklist for verifying FORTIFIED levels and documentation needed.

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.

Code describing the requirements for existing site-built single-family homes to receive roof-to-wall retrofits when re-roofing.

A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.

Report detailing the design and construction of 10 new houses under the Wyandotte Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2.

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

Article describing the effect metal roofs have on thermal performance in hot-humid climates.

Report providing information about techniques and approaches to improve the efficiency of recessed lighting.

This research study used pollutant measurements, home inspections, diagnostic testing and occupant surveys to assess IAQ in 24 new or deeply retrofitted homes designed to be high performance green buildings in California.

A factsheet providing information on how to prevent pests from entering the home by sealing cracks and openings.

Article explaining installing cavity insulation.

Article describing the second step of a three-step process for the installation a tubular skylight, using peel-and-stick flashing tape instead of roof cement, and integrating the roof underlayment with the flashing.

Article describing how to counterflash a chimney by tucking the upper pieces of counterflashing into the chimney mortar joints and overlapping them over the various pieces of base flashing, which are nailed to the roof deck.

Article describing the insurance savings of a home with a hip roof versus a gable roof from the perspective of an insurance advisor.

Article describing how the configuration of surrounding buildings affects the wind loads on a hip roof in a low-rise building.

Report discussing how to create livable space in the attic that meets IRC code requirements by either creating a ventilated roof assembly, or and unvented attic assembly.

Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more hurricane resistant.

The purpose for this document is to provide basic guidance on the use of proven installation techniques that can be used by installers to help ensure correct “dense pack” application of JM Spider® in drill & fill applications.

Article describing air leakage in buildings.

Information sheet providing links and resources for insulating basements in cold climates.

Article showing steps for kick out flashing at roof-wall intersection.

Research study to help development of an application protocol for aerosol sealing of building shells that will eventually be demonstrated on buildings in retrofit and new construction.

Article describing a technique for installing a skylight and avoiding potential water leaks with the use of a peel-and-stick (or self-adhesive) membrane under the flashing.