Skip to main content

Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 1 - 17 of 17

Construction Guide - Next Generation High Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5, Part I: 2x6 Walls

Author(s)
Kochkin Vladimir,
Wiehagen Joseph
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Part I of the Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x6 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as exterior sheathing, gypsum board as interior sheathing, and a cladding system installed over WSP sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories in height.

Construction Guide - Next Generation High Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 Part 2: 2x4 Walls with 1” to 1.5” Exterior Insulative Sheathing

Author(s)
Kochkin Vladimir,
Wiehagen Joseph
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
The Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel sheathing (WSP) as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low...

Conway Street Apartments: A Multifamily Deep Energy Retrofit

Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB
Publication Date
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.

Evaluation of CNT Energy Savers Retrofit Packages Implemented in Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
Farley Jene,
Ruch Russell
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report exploring feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25% source energy savings.

Energy Savings From System Efficiency Improvements in Iowa's HVAC SAVE Program

Author(s)
Baker Julie D,
Brand Larry,
Wells J,
Yee Shannon
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report using pre- and post-system upgrade data to analyze the energy savings associated with Iowa's HVAC SAVE program for space heating.

Cold Climate Foundation Retrofit Energy Savings: The Simulated Energy and Experimental Hygrothermal Performance of Cold Climate Foundation Wall Insulation Retrofit Measures - Phase I, Energy Simulation

Author(s)
Goldberg Louise F,
Steigauf Brianna
Organization(s)
NothernSTAR,
University of Minnesota,
UMN,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study describing an experimental and theoretical investigation of the energy and hygrothermal performance of retrofit foundation insulation systems in climate zones 6 and 7.

Comparison of Home Retrofit Programs in Wisconsin

Author(s)
Cunningham Kerrie,
Hannigan Eileen
Organization(s)
University of Minnesota,
UMN,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study comparing various retrofit models in Wisconsin to evaluate performance in terms of savings per home and program cost per home to assess the relative cost effectiveness of each program design.

Cold Climate Building Enclosure Solutions

Author(s)
Fallahi Ali,
Shukla Nitin,
Kosny Jan
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study investigating the energy performance and cost effectiveness of several state-of-the-art retrofit strategies that could be used in residential houses in the Boston and New England area.

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

Author(s)
Tiefenbeck Verena,
Roth Kurt,
Engelmann P
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report documenting the results of an in-depth evaluation of thermal comfort for two potential net zero-energy homes (NZEHs) in Massachusetts.

Survey of Whole House Programs in Midwestern Climates

Author(s)
McGeough U,
Baker Will,
Peters J,
Beitel Annette
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study making several recommendations to whole-home program designers and implementers for improving the cost effectiveness and reach of whole-home programs.

Evaluation of Northern Illinois Residential Retrofit Delivery Practices

Author(s)
Brand Larry,
Kerr Ryan,
Rowley Patricia
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
MEEA,
CNT Energy,
Elevate Energy,
Future Energy Enterprises,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document reviewing four cold-climate northern Illinois energy efficiency retrofit programs to identify practices, tools, and approaches to streamline and reduce costs of comprehensive retrofits, and to improve the consistency of audit and retrofit delivery practices across different programs.

Building America Best Practices Series - 40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Cold and Very Cold Climates, Volume 12

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Cole Pam C,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Guide describing measures that builders in the cold and very cold climates can take to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Builders and Buyers Handbook for Improving New Home Efficiency, Comfort, and Durability in the Cold and Very Cold Climates, Volume 3

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Taylor Z Todd,
Bartlett Rosemarie,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Steward Heidi,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document providing a resource to help builders large and small build high-quality, energy-efficient homes that achieve 30% energy savings in space conditioning and water heating in the cold and very cold climates.