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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 201 - 250 of 1873

Author(s)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Description
Updated detailed information about Formaldehyde.
Author(s)
Arena Lois
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report analyzing design heating load sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates and comparing them to the actual energy usage to determine if the building load calculation methodology should be changed for calculating the design heating load of these homes.
Author(s)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Description
Safety brochure from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) describing the dangers to children of furniture tipping over if it is not securely anchored.
Author(s)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Description
Website providing consumers with information about the risk to children from appliances and furniture tipping over and ways to anchor furniture and appliances to prevent this hazard.
Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.
Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
Website homepage of APA – The Engineered Wood Association, a nonprofit trade association combining the research efforts of scientists and engineers, APA promotes new solutions and improved processes that benefit the entire industry.
Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
Wall bracing calculator simplifying the design of residential structures that comply with 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 or 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) wall bracing requirements.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining how to develop, practice, and maintain emergency plans that reflect what must be done before, during, and after a disaster to protect people and their property.
Author(s)
Stratton Petter A
Organization(s)
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
National Institution of Health,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Organization(s)
NIH,
OSHA,
EPA,
HUD
Publication Date
Description
Guidance from HUD, EPA, NIH, and FEMA for workers who deal directly with asbestos.
Author(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Description
Web-based mapping tool offering a fast, reliable way to look up key design parameters specified in Standard ASCE 7-10, 7-16, or 7-22 for a specific address or location which is free to use and can look up data for eight different environmental hazard types: wind, tornado, seismic, ice, rain, flood...
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”
Author(s)
Brown William C,
Dietrich Mike,
Latimer Mark
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating,
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Description
A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.
Author(s)
Less Brennan,
Wray Craig P,
Stratton Chris J,
Singer Brett C,
Rapp Vi H
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
The exhaust from residential combustion appliances contains air pollutants and high levels of moisture that must be conveyed to the outdoors to maintain acceptable indoor quality.
Author(s)
Cooke George
Organization(s)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
Tridel Group of Companies
Publication Date
Description
Technical report describing the evaluation of air management systems in a high-rise apartment building in Toronto, Ontario, focusing on air leakage, suite depressurization, and the performance of in-suite exhaust and corridor ventilation systems.
Author(s)
Association of Bay Area Governments
Organization(s)
ABAG
Publication Date
Description
A basic guide walking through the various types of valves useful in mitigating the effects of earthquakes and other seismic events on natural gas pipelines for residential use.
Author(s)
The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals
Organization(s)
APSP
Publication Date
Description
View the APSP/ANSI Standards and codes below to get information about ANSI specifications for pools, spa and hot tubs.
Author(s)
Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre
Organization(s)
AIVC
Publication Date
Description
Report describing information for builders and retrofitters about eliminating hazards and coincidental energy losses that come from attached garages.
Author(s)
Attachments Energy Rating Council
Organization(s)
AERC
Publication Date
Description
Website developed by the Attachments Energy Rating Council to provide consumers with credible, relevant, and comparable information about window attachments and their performance.
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Articles describing attic and ceiling insulation, including mentions of baffles with protect insulation from wind washing.
Author(s)
Neuhauser Ken
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Description
Web page describing the benefits of attic fans, with rules for sizing fans and intake vents.
Author(s)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Organization(s)
CMHC,
Government of Canada
Publication Date
Description
Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.
Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
NREL webpage of standard work specification of exterior and interior, attic floors, attic knee walls, and unique installations.
Author(s)
BetterBuilt Northwest,
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Organization(s)
BetterBuiltNW,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing how to improve a variable capacity heat pump's efficiency by not programming a deep setback on the thermostat.
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering interior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.
Author(s)
Van der Meer Bill
Organization(s)
National Association for State Community Services Programs,
NASCSP,
Weatherization Training Center at Penn College,
Pennsylvania College of Technology,
PCT
Publication Date
Description
Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.
Author(s)
Yost Peter
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the building science implications of insulating vented or unvented attics.
Author(s)
Yost Peter
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the research into insulating vented versus unvented attics.
Author(s)
Yost Peter
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Publication Date
Description
Article describing different kinds of water-resistant backer boards.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report describing approaches to insulating basements in homes built to meet Energy Star levels of performance of heat loss reduction.
Author(s)
Southface Energy Institute
Organization(s)
SEI,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing basement insulation considerations.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet describing techniques for insulating basements.
Author(s)
Elgqvist Emma
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet providing information on building-scale and utility-scale battery storage for disaster resistance.
Author(s)
Bay Area Retrofit
Publication Date
Description
YouTube channel featuring 90+ videos to educate Bay Area homeowners and contractors about seismic retrofitting, including information for various home and construction types.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet from FEMA on preparation for extreme heat, including measures for keeping homes cool.
Author(s)
Town of Los Gatos California
Organization(s)
Town of Los Gatos California
Publication Date
Description
A webpage outlining recommendations for creating defensible space.
Author(s)
Trisha Gedon
Organization(s)
Oklahoma State University,
OSU,
Agricultural Communications Services,
ACS
Publication Date
Description
Article describing how to choose the right portable electric generator for a home and how to safely operate when power outages happen.
Author(s)
Acker Larry,
Klein Gary
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine,
Taco Comfort
Publication Date
Description
Article describing how demand plumbing systems send cold water back to the water heater until hot water arrives at the sink, shower or other fixture where it is needed.
Author(s)
Arbor Day Foundation
Organization(s)
Arbor Day Foundation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the benefits trees provide through quotes and anecdotes.
Author(s)
Richard Health & Associates
Organization(s)
RHA
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the best practices for the safe, efficient, and compliant installation of residential air source heat pump water heaters (HPWH) in California, aligning with the state's climate goals and providing guidance for educators, installers, and industry stakeholders.