Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 51 - 100 of 120 results:

Firebreak - Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

2020

Urban Land Institute

Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Fixing Wet Basements and Crawlspaces

2012

Todd Jason

Home Energy Magazine

Article describing methods to manage moisture, rainwater, and vapor in basements and crawlspaces.

Flood Cleanup Infographic

2022

US Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

This document includes tips for safely and effectively cleaning up a home after a flood. It is available in several languages.

Flooded Homes Cleanup Guidance

2023

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Website providing series of short how-to videos, infographics and more resources on cleaning up a home after a flood.

Foundation Design Handbook

2013

Carmody John,

et al.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

University of Minnesota

Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.

Fourth National Climate Assessment, Vol 2: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States

2018

U.S. Global Change Research Program

USGCRP

Report analyzing the effect of global climate change on national interests, and providing climate predictions.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations

2022

Williams Randy

Green Building Advisor,

GBA

Article describing what the building codes say about frost-protected shallow foundations as a cost-saving alternative to conventional concrete foundations.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations 1

2010

Holladay Martin

Fine Homebuilding

Guides describing frost-protected shallow foundations as an alternative method for building an energy-efficient foundation for a house in a cold climate that uses less concrete and saves on labor.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations Reduce Costs, Save Energy

2014

Hooker Kenneth A

Concrete Construction

Article describing frost-protected shallow foundations with construction drawing details.

Georgia Pulls the Attic-Ventilator Plug (Sort of)

2011

Defendorf Richard

Green Building Advisor

Article describing issues with attic ventilation fans and why the state of Georgia residential code does not allow plug-in attic ventilation fans.

Georgia State Supplements and Amendments to the International Energy Conservation Code (2015 Edition)

2020

Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Document describing amendments to IECC 2015 to create the Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code.

Geospatial Data Science

2014

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

U.S. Department of Energy

NREL,

DOE

Website with prepopulated information about the United States renewable resources.

GIS Geography

2024

GIS Geography

A website providing free access to a variety of U.S. and international maps.

Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates

2022

Gilbride Theresa L,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL

Report identifying Building America and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code climate zone designations for every county in the United States; where a county's climate zone designation has changed since the 2018 IECC, that change is indicated as well.

Homeowner's Guide to Retrofitting - Six Ways to Protect Your House From Flooding, FEMA I-235

2020

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Brochure describing FEMA documents and foundation tips for floodproofing homes.

Hood River Passive House

2013

Hales David

WSU Extension Energy Programs,

Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,

BA-PIRC

Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.

How to Build Small Affordable Houses That Use 30% Less Total Energy in the Mixed-Humid Climate

2020

Green Building Solutions

A report describing how to build a high-performance affordable house to achieve 30% whole house energy savings in the mixed-humid climate region.

How to Insulate a Basement Wall

2012

Holladay Martin

Green Building Advisor,

GBA

Blog entry describing methods for insulating basement walls on the interior or exterior.

How to Insulate Your Basement

2022

Mathews Erin

This Old House

An article and video of a breakdown on the preparation and installation of basement insulation.

Hygrothermal Performance Study: A Field Study Comparison of the Energy and Moisture Performance Characteristics of Ventilated Versus Sealed Crawl Spaces in the South

2005

Davis Bruce,

Dastur Cyrus,

Warren William E

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

Advanced Energy,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

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

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

2019

Green Home Institute

Video describing how a frost-protected shallow foundation (FPSF) is constructed and including use of a stay-in-place EPS (expanded polystyrene) footing form that provides insulation and simplifies the installation of frost-protected monolithic concrete slab foundations.

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

2019

Green Home Institute

Insulating Concrete Forms for Multifamily Residential Construction

2019

Lemay Lionel,

Peng Tien

Civil + Structural Engineers

Article describing methods for designing and constructing multifamily buildings with insulating concrete forms (ICFs).

Is It Ever Helpful to Use a Powered Attic Ventilator?

2021

Bailes Allison

Energy Vanguard

Blog article citing the risks and downsides of attic ventilation fans from a building science perspective.

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

2021

National Center for Environmental Health,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NCEH,

CDC

Web page describing how to identify heat-related illness and how to prevent it.

Keeping The Heat In - Chapter 6: Basement Insulation Floors, Walls and Crawl Spaces

2016

Natural Resources Canada

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

Measure Guideline: Basement Insulation Basics

2012

Aldrich Robb,

Mantha Pallavi,

Puttagunta Srikanth

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Document describing good practices for insulating basements in new and existing homes.

Measure Guideline: Hybrid Foundation Insulation Retrofits

2012

Lstiburek Joseph W,

Ueno Kohta

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Document providing information on basement insulation, air sealing and water management retrofits.

National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center

2020

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

National Weather Service

NOAA,

NWS

A website issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather and increasing the understanding of hazards.

New Light in Crawlspaces, BSI-009

2010

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Building science insight into crawlspaces.

New Maps of Annual Average Temperature and Precipitation from the U.S. Climate Normals

2021

Lindsey Rebecca

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

NOAA

Webpage presenting updated maps for annual average temperature and precipitation in the contiguous U.S.

NFIP Technical Bulletin 1: Requirements for Flood Openings in Foundation Walls and Walls of Enclosures - Below Elevated Buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas

2020

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Document describing guidance and requirements for flood openings in walls at and below grade.

Performance Assessment of Photovoltaic Attic Ventilator Fans

2000

Parker Danny S,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Prevent Home Roof Damage from Heavy Snow and Ice.

2019

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.

Pump Day Procedures

2013

ICF Systems

Massachusetts Building Products

Information sheet including a checklist of steps to follow for pouring concrete.

Rats: Information for Tenants and Property Owners

2017

City of New York

Website providing information about how to keep the properties rat-free and address conditions that can lead to rats.

Recommended Residential Construction for Coastal Areas: Building on Strong and Safe Foundations, FEMA P-550

2009

Coulbourne Bill,

et al.

Federal Emergency Management Agency,

FEMA,

URS Corporation,

DK Low and Associates,

Greenhorne and O'Mara,

Dewberry and Davis

Report providing recommended designs and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

Reexamining Roof Ventilation

2000

Woods Tony

Home Energy,

National Association for State Community Services Programs,

NASCSP

Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

Residential Dehumidification Systems Research for Hot-Humid Climates

2005

Lstiburek Joseph W,

et al.

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Research study identifying the best performing, most energy-efficient and cost- effective techniques to provide controlled mechanical ventilation and humidity control in hot- humid climates with thermally efficient building envelopes.

Retrofitting a 1960s Split-Level, Cold-Climate Home

2015

Puttagunta Srikanth

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Report on air-sealing programs for energy-efficiency retrofits.

Revised Builder’s Guide to Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

2004

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing,

National Association of Home Builders

HUD,

PATH,

NAHB Research Center

Report describing how to construct a frost protected shallow foundation (FPSF) as a practical alternative to a deeper, more-costly foundation in cold regions with seasonal ground freezing and the potential for frost heave.

Roof Venting in a Wet Climate

2011

Fisette Paul

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Q&A article discussing how to address moisture issues in an attic in a wet and humid coastal climate.

Sealed Crawl Spaces with Integrated Whole-House Ventilation in a Cold Climate

2015

Puttagunta Srikanth,

Zoeller William,

Williamson James

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Report on hybrid ventilation methods for insulated and sealed crawl spaces.

Small Commercial Building Fact Sheet - Building Envelope

2016

Southface Energy Institute

SEI

Fact sheet describing building envelope performance measures applicable to residential and small commercial construction.

Snow Loads

2015

Wilkerson

Medeek Design

Webpage providing information about design snow loads and a free interactive ground snow load mapping tool for the contiguous United States, as well as snow load calculation methods.

Stop Pests in Housing

2018

Northeastern IPM Center

Website providing information on all types of pest management for multi-family housing.

Storm Prediction Center

2020

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

National Weather Service

NOAA,

NWS

A website providing timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States.

Suitability of foundation heat exchangers for ground source heat pump systems in European climates

2014

Cullin James R,

Spitler Jeffrey D,

Gehlin Signhild E A

Federation of European Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations,

REHVA,

Oklahoma State University,

OSU,

Swedish Centre for Shallow Geothermal Energy

A research paper discussing the use of foundation heat exchangers for ground source heat pump systems in European climates.

Sunnyvale Marine Climate Deep Retrofit

2014

German Alea,

Siddiqi Aqdus,

Dakin Bill

Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,

ARBI,

Davis Energy Group,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Research project evaluating the pre-and post-retrofit energy consumption of a marine climate retrofit, compare actual energy use to original predictions, and identify opportunities for cost savings in other similar retrofits in this climate.

Supplemental Dehumidification in Warm-Humid Climates, BA-1310

2013

Rudd Armin

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced.