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 151 - 189 of 189

Prefabricated Zero Energy Retrofit Technologies: A Market Assessment

Author(s)
Egerter Amy,
Campbell Martha
Organization(s)
Rocky Mountain Institute,
RMI,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing the current state of technology and market gaps for industrialized retrofits as demonstrated by Energiesprong in the Netherlands and providing key recommendations for how the United States might develop its own capacity for such retrofits.

Radiant Barriers

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
U.S. Department of Energy's website describing radiant barriers in homes.

Reduce Pest Intrusion

Author(s)
Building Energy Codes Program,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.

Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Webpage describing a DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge. The challenge engages industry partners and focuses around the Cold Climate Heat Pumps, a more environmental and efficient heating alternative to traditional heating.

Residential Fan Efficiency - Code Notes

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
IECC code note explaining new fan efficacy requirements, along with how to determine which fans are affected by the new fan requirements.

Room Air Conditioners

Author(s)
Energy Saver,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Web page providing an overview of room-level air conditioning systems such as window units and mini-splits.

Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from 2009 - 2010 Evaluation

Author(s)
Colon Carlos J,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report comparing the performance of seven differing types of residential water heating systems in a side-by-side test configuration over a full year period.

Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from the 2010 - 2011 Evaluation

Author(s)
Colon Carlos J,
Parker Danny S
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document about testing of seven water heating systems in the Hot Water Systems laboratory in central Florida.

Sizing a New Water Heater

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
A website providing information on how to properly size a water heater based on tank size, volume, peak hour demand and other factors.

Small Wind Electric Systems

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
A website discussing the use of consumer-grade small electric wind systems such as turbines to lower energy costs.

Solar Water Heaters

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Website describing how solar water heaters -- also called solar domestic hot water systems -- can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home.

Solar-Plus-Storage 101

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Webpage describing the basics of solar plus storage operations on homes.

Strategy Guideline: Accurate Heating and Cooling Load Calculations

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report about the impact on the loads when common safety factors are applied to the load calculation process using two houses that meet the 2009 IECC prescriptive path modeled as the accurate baseline.

Strategy Guideline: High Performance Residential Lighting

Author(s)
Holton James
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Document offering methods to greatly reduce lighting energy use through the application of high quality fluorescent and light emitting diode (LED) technologies.

Strategy Guideline: HVAC Equipment Sizing

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing the equipment selection of a split system air conditioner and furnace for an example house in Chicago, Illinois, as well as a heat pump system for an example house in Orlando, Florida.

Strategy Guideline: Proper Water Heater Selection

Author(s)
Staller J,
Springer David,
German Alea,
Hoeschele Marc,
Zhang Y
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report about proper water heater selection developed to provide step-by-step procedures for evaluating preferred cost-effective options for energy efficient water heater alternatives based on local utility rates, climate, and anticipated loads.

Strategy Guideline: Transitioning HVAC Companies to Whole House Performance Contractors

Author(s)
Burdick Arlan
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing findings from research related to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) companies that have made the decision to transition to whole house performance contracting (WHPC).

Systems Evaluation at the Cool Energy House

Author(s)
Puttagunta Srikanth,
Williamson James
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report providing performance results of a home's heat pump water heater and whole-house dehumidifier over a six-month period.

Technology Fact Sheet: Weather-Resistive Barriers

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Brochure with information about how to select and install house wrap and other weather-resistive barriers.

The History of the Light Bulb

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
A website covering the history of the lightbulb that includes a helpful timeline to illustrate lightbulb innovation from the 1800s - Present.

The Performance Check Between Whole Building Thermal Performance Criteria and Exterior Wall Measured Clear Wall R-Value, Thermal Bridging, thermal mass and airtightness

Author(s)
Kosny Jan,
Christian Jeffrey E,
Desjarlais Andre O,
Kossecka Elisabeth,
Berrenberg Lance
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Polish Academy of Sciences,
PAN,
American Polysteel Forms,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Paper that illustrates a performance check between the thermal performance of a Massive Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall system mocked up and Whole Building Performance criteria such as total space heating and cooling loads (thermal comfort).

Thermostat Controls

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Guide from Energy Star on smart thermostats and offering some guidance for choosing one.

Types of Insulation

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Information sheet about types and installation of insulation.

Types of Lighting

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Website with consumer information about various types of lighting.

Using Solar Hot Water to Address Piping Heat Losses in Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
Springer David,
Seitzler Matt,
Backman Christine,
Weitzel Elizabeth
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report on investigating the effectiveness of using solar thermal water heaters to address heat losses from piping while recirculating water in multifamily buildings.

Ventilation System Effectiveness and Tested Indoor Air Quality Impacts

Author(s)
Rudd Armin,
Bergey Daniel
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
This report describes how twenty homes were tested and monitored in the Zone 2 climate of Houston, Texas, U.S.A., to evaluate the humidity control performance and operating cost of six different integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems that could be applied by production homebuilders.

Weatherstripping

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing how weatherstripping can be an easy and cost-effective way to save money on energy costs and improve comfort by reducing drafts.

Window Attachments

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
DOE presentation describing a project to study window attachments.