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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 1 - 32 of 32

Cooling and Heating Season Impacts of Right-Sizing of Fixed- and Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps With Attic and Indoor Ductwork

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R,
Kono Jamie E
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report on experiments comparing the cooling and heating seasonal and peak demand performance of different variable-capacity air conditioning and heat pump units.

Energy Retrofit Field Study and Best Practices in a Hot-Humid Climate

Author(s)
McIlvaine,
Sutherland,
Martin
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study examining efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in Florida.

Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction of a SEER 21 Heat Pump vs. a SEER 13 Heat Pump with Attic and Indoor Duct Systems

Author(s)
Cummings James B,
Withers Charles R
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.

Exploring Cost-Effective, High Performance Residential Retrofits for Affordable Housing in the Hot Humid Climate

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet,
Sutherland Karen,
Schleith Kevin,
Chandra Subrato
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Report presenting the process of a residential retrofit project for houses in the states of Florida and Alabama, including findings at the time of reporting and highlights of the first home to meet the target HERS Index of 70.

Field and Laboratory Testing of Approaches to Smart Whole-House Mechanical Ventilation Control

Author(s)
Martin,
Fenaughty,
Parker
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report outlining how Smart ventilation controls (SVC) balance energy consumption, comfort, and IAQ by optimizing mechanical ventilation operation to reduce the heating and/or cooling loads, improve management of indoor moisture, and maintain IAQ equivalence according to ASHRAE 62.2.

Flexible Residential Test Facility: Impact of Infiltration and Ventilation on Measured Cooling Season Energy and Moisture Levels

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Kono Jamie E,
Vieira Robin K,
Fairey Philip W,
Sherwin John S,
Withers Charles,
Hoak David,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research report assessing the moisture and cooling load impacts of airtightness and mechanical ventilation in homes in hot-humid climates.

Flexible Residential Test Facility: Impact of Infiltration and Ventilation on Measured Heating Season Energy and Moisture Levels

Author(s)
Vieira,
Parker,
Fairey III,
Sherwin,
Withers,
Hoak
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research study outlining savings from reducing air infiltration, with and without the addition of mechanical ventilation, using two identical laboratory homes designed to model existing Florida building stock.

How Energy Efficient are Modern Dishwashers?

Author(s)
Hoak,
Parker,
Hermelink
Organization(s)
FSEC
Publication Date
Report about measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers.

Low Cost Interior Duct Systems for High Performance Homes in Hot Climates

Author(s)
Fonorow Ken,
Jenkins Dave,
Thomas-Rees Stephanie,
Chandra Subrato
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Florida Home Energy and Resources Organization,
Florida HERO,
Energy Smart Home Plans,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Document presenting a cost effective method that was used by four builders in the Gainesville, FL area to construct interior ducts in over a dozen site built homes.

Measure Guideline: Summary of Interior Ducts in New Construction, Including an Efficient, Affordable Method to Install Fur-Down Interior Ducts

Author(s)
Beal David,
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Fonorow Ken,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Document illustrating guidelines for efficient installation of interior duct systems in new housing.

Measured Performance of Occupied, Side-by-Side, South Texas Homes

Author(s)
Chasar Dave,
vonSchramm Valerie
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report summarizing a case study about the performance of three occupied homes built in 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.

NightCool: A Nocturnal Radiation Cooling Concept

Author(s)
Parker,
Sherwin,
Hermelink
Organization(s)
FSEC
Publication Date
Report about an experimental evaluation has been conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

Pilot Evaluation of Energy Savings and Persistence from Residential Energy Demand Feedback Devices in a Hot Climate

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Hoak David,
Cummings Jamie E
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

Pilot Evaluation of Energy Savings from Residential Energy Demand Feedback Devices

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Hoak David,
Cummings Jamie E
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

Research Results from A Few Alternate Methods of Interior Duct Systems in Factory Built Housing Located In the Hot Humid Climate

Author(s)
Moyer Neil,
Stroer Dennis,
Hoak David,
McIlvaine Janet,
Chandra Subrato
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Calcs Plus
Publication Date
Document presenting results from testing prototype HVAC duct system designs that would locate the entire length of duct work within the air and thermal barriers of the building envelope. These include one that incorporated a high-side supply register, one that utilized a single soffit located within...

The Next Step Toward Widespread Residential Deep Energy Retrofits

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Saunders S,
Bordelon E,
Baden S,
Elam L,
Martin Eric
Organization(s)
BA-PIRC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
TexEnergy Solutions,
Residential Energy Services Network,
RESNET
Publication Date
Report providing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis inherent to different models as a way of thinking about the transition from traditional business models into a viable model for delivering deep energy retrofits.