Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 1 - 50 of 190 results:

2010 Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings, FEMA P-804

2019

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

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

2011 EnergyValue Housing Award Report

2012

Del Bianco Marie,

Sagan D,

Wood Amber

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

National Association of Home Builders Research Center,

NAHBRC,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report assessing the energy performance of the 2011 EVHA winners and to align the EVHA program with the BA program.

2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey - RECS Data

2015

U.S. Energy Information Administration

EIA

Federal statistics about national energy consumption in residential homes.

2021 Webinar Catalog - Region 2 Preparedness and Resilience Webinars

2022

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Catalog describing FEMA preparedness seminars from 2021 including preparedness and natural hazards topics.

45L Tax Credit Resource Hub - for Single-Family Homes

2024

BetterBuilt Northwest,

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

BetterBuiltNW,

NEEA

Webpage providing guidance on the 45L tax credit, assembling the most relevant information for Northwest builders to maximize their tax credit and build energy efficient homes.

A Business Case for Home Performance Contracting

2012

Baechler Michael C,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Report discussing opportunities and trends in the U.S. home performance contracting industry, along with market drivers such as consumer demand; federal, state, and local programs; and utility and non-governmental programs.

A Crash Course in Roof Venting, PA-1101

2011

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

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

A Decade of DOE ZERH: Making Zero Energy Homes Available Everywhere

2024

Theresa Gilbride,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Factsheet describing how the U.S. DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program has evolved since 2013. This factsheet includes case studies, statistics about the program and specific building components, and a general outline of program requirements.

A Guide to Residential Energy Storage and Rooftop Solar: State Net Metering Policies and Utility Rate Tariff Structures

2024

Kerby Jessica,

Tarekegne Bethel

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Article describing utility rates, net metering policies, installation costs, financial incentives, and other info for both consumers who are interested in installing renewable energy systems and for energy justice and clean energy advocates.

About Attic Ventilation

2022

ENERGY STAR

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

EPA,

ENERGY STAR

Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.

ACEEE 2024 Summer Study on Energy-Efficiency in Buildings Factsheet: 2021 IECC-Compliant Houses that Work in Every Climate Zone

2024

Theresa Gilbride,

Kaltreider Christian E

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Factsheet describing the motivation for adopting the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code and how the 2021 IECC Assemblies Tool developed by PNNL can be used to find IECC compliant whole-house assembly drawings.

ACEEE 2024 Summer Study on Energy-Efficiency in Buildings Factsheet: Construction Challenges in DOE Zero Energy Ready and ENERGY STAR Multifamily Housing

2024

Kaltreider Christian E,

Theresa Gilbride

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Factsheet describing the challenges faced when achieving high-performance multifamily homes.

Alaska Residential Building Manual, 7th Edition

2008

Deer Charlie,

et al.

University of Alaska,

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation

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

Analysis of Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Measure Packages

2013

Baker Julie D,

Brand Larry,

Yee Shannon

Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,

PARR,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,

MEEA

Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Application of Spray Foam Insulation Under Plywood and Oriented Strand Board Roof Sheathing, BA-1312

2013

Grin Aaron,

Smegal Jonathan,

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report covering moisture and leakage issues associated with spray foam insulation application to the underside of roof sheathing.

Are Your Multi-Family Buildings Accessible?

2009

Stratton Petter A

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Document highlighting federal accessibility laws which may apply to a housing development, and common mistakes made in the field which, if avoided, will help to ensure compliance.

Assessment of the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Scoring Tool

2012

Roberts David,

et al.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report assessing the accuracy of HEST as it was being developed and to provide information useful to DOE program managers and HEST development team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Attic Air Sealing Guide and Details, GM-1001

2010

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Document providing background and approach for the prep work necessary prior to adding attic insulation - focusing on combustion safety, ventilation for indoor air quality, and attic ventilation for durability.

Attic or Roof? An Evaluation of Two Advanced Weatherization Packages, BA-1205

2012

Neuhauser Ken

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Attics, Topic 4.01

2020

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NREL

NREL webpage of standard work specification of exterior and interior, attic floors, attic knee walls, and unique installations.

Avoiding Moisture Problems

2003

Van der Meer Bill

National Association for State Community Services Programs,

NASCSP,

Weatherization Training Center at Penn College,

Pennsylvania College of Technology,

PCT

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

Avoiding Wet Roofs - Part I

2018

Yost Peter

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Article describing the building science implications of insulating vented or unvented attics.

Avoiding Wet Roofs - Part II

2018

Yost Peter

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Article describing the research into insulating vented versus unvented attics.

Builders Challenge Quality Criteria Support Document

2010

Baechler Michael C,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Document providing guidance to U.S. home builders who want to accept the challenge.

Building America Guidance for Identifying and Overcoming Code, Standard, and Rating Method Barriers

2013

Cole Pam C,

Halverson Mark A

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Guidance document providing BA research teams and partners with specific information and approaches to identifying and overcoming potential barriers to Building America (BA) innovations arising in and/or stemming from codes, standards, and rating methods.

Building America Program

2021

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

A website providing information on the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center, a source for innovations in residential building energy performance, energy efficiency, quality, affordability and comfort for more than 20 years.

Building America Top Innovations 2013: Attic Air Sealing Guidelines

2013

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Fact sheet describing research sponsored by DOE's Building America program to research the importance of attic air-sealing and best practice attic air-sealing techniques for new and existing homes.

Building Energy Efficiency Standards - Title 24

2022

California Energy Commission

CEC

Website providing information about the Title 24 building energy efficiency standards for the State of California and links to current and past standards including the 2025, 2022, 2019, and 2016 standards, etc.

Building in Extreme Cold, BSI-031

2010

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

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

Building Science Corporation (BSC) Building America Quality Control Checklist, GM-0802

2008

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Document with the Quality Control Checklist developed as both a guide to assist in the transition to high performance home building, and as a simplified tool to be used as part of any builder's on-site quality control procedures.

Ceilings and Attics

2000

Southface Energy Institute,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL,

SEI

Information sheet with information about insulating and ventilating attics.

Choose A Light Guide

2021

ENERGY STAR

A simple three-step guide for homeowners who are looking to replace existing light bulbs with more energy-efficient, higher-performing bulbs.

Climate-Specific Passive Building Standards

2015

Wright Graham S,

Klingenberg Katrin

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report on improving passive design adoption rates.

Comfort, Indoor Air Quality, and Energy Consumption in Low Energy Homes

2013

Tiefenbeck Verena,

Roth Kurt,

Engelmann P

Fraunhofer CSE,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report documenting the results of an in-depth evaluation of thermal comfort for two potential net zero-energy homes (NZEHs) in Massachusetts.

Commissioning of the Fresno, California, Retrofit Unoccupied Test House

2013

Stecher Dave,

Imm C

Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,

IBACOS,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report about instrumentation and limited short-term testing completed on a retrofit unoccupied test house in Fresno, California.

Compact Buried Ducts in a Hot-Humid Climate House

2016

Mallay David

Home Innovation Research Labs,

HIRL

Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.

Comparison of the ENERGYGAUGE USA and BEopt Building Energy Simulation Programs

2009

Parker Danny S,

Cummings Jamie E

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Two hourly energy simulation software, BEopt and Energy Gauge USA, were compared to ensure accuracy and evaluate agreement on the impact of various energy efficiency improvements.

Concluding Two-Year Rulemaking, FTC Announces New EnergyGuide Label

2007

Federal Trade Commission

FTC

Article introducing the FTC’s new EnergyGuide label, including estimates of annual energy usage.

Consortium for Energy Efficiency

2024

Consortium of Energy Efficiency Inc.

CEE

Website for CEE, the US and Canadian consortium of natural gas and electric efficiency program administrators.

Cool Hand Luke Meets Attics, BSI-077

2015

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article describing the difference between conditioned or unvented attics and unconditioned or vented attics.

Cool Solutions: The Whole House Fan

2018

Mott-Smith John

City of Davis,

State of California

Article describing the use of whole-house fans to provide cooling in the region surrounding Sacramento, CA.

Cost Analysis of Roof-Only Air Sealing and Insulation Strategies on 1 1/2-Story Homes in Cold Climates

2014

Ojczyk Cindy

University of Minnesota,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE,

NothernSTAR

Report exploring alternative methods to find long-term solutions to energy loss in 1 ½-story homes to save energy, improve comfort, prevent frost buildup on the underside of the roof deck, and reduce the risk of ice dam formation/reformation.

CRRC - Cool Roof Rating Council

2023

Cool Roof Rating Council

CRRC

Website providing information about the Cool Roof Rating Council including programs, membership, and resources for the construction industry.

Dam Ice Dam, BSI-046

2011

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article describing strategies for reducing the risk of ice dam formation on roofs in winter.

De-Icing Ice Dams, BSI-097

2018

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article describing the importance of air sealing, insulation, and roof ventilation in reducing the likelihood of ice dam formation on roofs in cold snowy climates.

Deep Dive: Technical Details of the ENERGY STAR MFNC Program

2020

Hudson Rebecca,

Vijayakumar Gayathri

Steven Winter Associates,

U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A presentation describing the details of the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction program requirements.

Deep Energy Retrofits - Lessons learned

2015

Less Brennan,

Walker Iain S

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Part of a larger LBNL report (Deep Energy Retrofit Guidance for the Building America Solutions Center), the Lessons Learned chapter focuses on successful deep energy retrofit projects throughout the U.S.

Digital Coast

2020

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA

Website helping communities address coastal issues with data, tools, and training resources.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Program Requirements

2022

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

Website listing implementation timelines and links to various versions of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home national program requirements.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Requirements, Rev. 04

2020

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

PDF file explaining the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home National Requirements (Rev. 04).