Library

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.

Article describing five fundamental changes to building construction from the last 50 years and their modern construction consequences.

Journal article describing energy and cost savings potential from air sealing multifamily town homes.

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.

Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

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.

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

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

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

Article describing tree preservation during the construction process.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Report examining performance measures in the context of a large-scale renovation project.

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.

Report about a two-year study intended to document the energy performance of a house in each sub-metered area and compare the performance to modeled predictions and to assess the thermal comfort performance of the single point mini-split heat pump.

Report on the impact of air sealing between the foundation and the living space on radon transport reduction across the foundation and living space floor assembly at fifteen home.

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.

Guideline describing the importance of the different types of multifamily building attics and their unique challenges, and outlines strategies and materials used in air-sealing them.

Document covering two fundamental retrofit strategies for air sealing around air handling systems that are located within the living space in an enclosed closet.

Case study about how to properly tape insulating sheathing drainage planes.