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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 152 results:

FEMA Continuous Load Path

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Article explaining what a continuous load path is and the key connection points that make it up.

FEMA Earthquake Risk

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Website providing links to scalable guidance and tools about the importance of earthquake mitiation to the private sector, its owners, managers, and employees.

FEMA Flood Insurance

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
Website describing the national flood insurance program and how to purchase flood insurance.

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA
Description
A website providing information on funding for mitigation programs to reduce disaster losses under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Field Assessment of Energy Audit Tools for Retrofit Programs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Bohac Dave,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
NorthernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN
Description
Report describing a project focused on the use of home energy ratings as a tool to promote energy retrofits in existing homes.

Fixing Wet Basements and Crawlspaces

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Todd Jason
·
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Description
Article describing methods to manage moisture, rainwater, and vapor in basements and crawlspaces.

FORTIFIED Home Getting FORTIFIED Certified

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
·
Organization(s)
IBHS
Description
Webpage providing access to the training for building professionals to earn certification as FORTIFIED™ Home Evaluators and FORTIFIED-Wise credentials.

Foundation Design Handbook

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Carmody John,
et al.
·
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
University of Minnesota
Description
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.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Williams Randy
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Description
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

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Holladay Martin
·
Organization(s)
Fine Homebuilding
Description
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.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Key Product Criteria

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
Website with information about ENERGY STAR criteria for geothermal heat pumps.

Greenbelt Homes Pilot Energy Efficiency Programs Phase 1 Summary: Existing Conditions and Baseline Energy Use

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Wiehagen Joseph,
Del Bianco Marie,
Wood Amber
·
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Description
Report detailing field walk-through evaluations, energy simulations for projected savings with exterior insulation upgrades, building envelope energy improvement cost estimates, and installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment and data.

Housing Stock Characterization Study: An Innovative Approach to Measuring Retrofit Impact

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Kipp Jennison M,
Taylor Nicholas W,
Jones Pierce H
·
Organization(s)
Building Energy Efficient Housing for America,
BEEHA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Description
Report detailing an evaluation of Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) residential energy efficiency demand side management (DSM) programs to assess their impacts and relative measures of energy and economic performance.

How to Design a Home for a Cold Climate

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Diez Roy
·
Organization(s)
New Home Source
Description
Article summarizing for potential homeowners items to check or demand from the builder in designing a home for a cold climate.

How to Insulate a Basement Wall

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Holladay Martin
·
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Description
Blog entry describing methods for insulating basement walls on the interior or exterior.

How to Insulate Your Basement

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Mathews Erin
·
Organization(s)
This Old House
Description
An article and video of a breakdown on the preparation and installation of basement insulation.

Implementing a Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Project

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Springer David,
German Alea
·
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group
Description
Report on on lessons learned from building one multifamily home to the Zero Energy Ready Home program requirements.

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Green Home Institute
·
Organization(s)
Green Home Institute
Description
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

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Green Home Institute
·
Organization(s)
Green Home Institute
Description
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.

Learn About Brightness

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A website explaining the measurement of light bulbs, measurable in lumens, & brightness levels that ENERGY STAR products produce.

Learn About LED Lighting

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A website explaining the basics of LED lightning, their lifespan, their use in general lighting applications, the amount of heat produced, and why you should choose ENERGY STAR certified LED products for your home.

LED Bulbs Made Easy

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A fact sheet providing information on ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs & how to find the right one to fit your lighting fixture.

LEED v4.1 Certification Program

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S Green Building Council
·
Organization(s)
USGBC
Description
Website explaining the LEED v4.1 program and providing a portal for those who want to investigate or start a LEED project.

Light Bulb Key Product Criteria

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Description
ENERGY STAR lightbulb criteria.

Light Bulbs

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
·
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR
Description
A website explaining why homeowners should install ENERGY STAR certified lightbulbs, which helps to save homeowners on utility bills and protect the environment.

Measure Guideline: Basement Insulation Basics

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Mantha Pallavi,
Puttagunta Srikanth
·
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Description
Document describing good practices for insulating basements in new and existing homes.

Minnesota Power New Construction Energy Efficiency Program

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Minnesota Power
·
Organization(s)
Minnesota Power
Description
Website describing Minnesota Power’s New Construction Energy Efficiency program that promotes building practices and technologies that enhance new residential construction.

National Fenestration Rating Council Certified Products Directory

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Fenestration Rating Council
·
Organization(s)
NFRC
Description
Database from the National Fenestration Rating Council providing a directory of NFRC-certified window products searchable by manufacturer, product type, CPD number, or various NFRC label specifications.

National Green Building Standard Analysis

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
National Association of Home Builders Research Center,
U.S. Department of Energy
·
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
DOE
Description
Report detailing the proposed point structure for the prescriptive approach of the energy efficiency chapter of the NGBS update.

Primary Frontal Dunes

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
·
Organization(s)
FEMA

Pump Day Procedures

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
ICF Systems
·
Organization(s)
Massachusetts Building Products
Description
Information sheet including a checklist of steps to follow for pouring concrete.

Rats: Information for Tenants and Property Owners

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
City of New York
·
Organization(s)
City of New York
Description
Website providing information about how to keep the properties rat-free and address conditions that can lead to rats.

Renewable Energy Annual

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Information Administration
·
Organization(s)
EIA
Description
Data tables on U.S. renewable energy consumption and general trends in the market for renewable energy.

Renewable Energy Ready Home Solar Photovoltaic Specification Guide

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
The RERH specifications and checklists take a builder and a project design team through the steps of assessing a home’s solar resource potential and defining the minimum structural and system components needed to support a solar energy system.

Renewable Energy Ready Home Solar Site Assessment Tool

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
·
Organization(s)
EPA
Description
Website tool intended to guide home builders in assessing whether a new home has the proper physical orientation to support a future installation of a solar energy system.

Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)

Publication Date
·
Author(s)
Energy Information Administration,
EIA
·
Organization(s)
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Description
Website providing data on household energy usage collected from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), a nationally representative sample of more than 18,000 housing units, representing the 123.5 million housing units occupied as primary residences in the U.S.