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.
Article about one way to deal with the cold-water surprise effect of tankless water heaters.
Information sheet about insulation materials.
This article addresses the issue of undercutting bedroom doors to provide return airflow from bedrooms resulting in risks such as insufficient airflow, pressure imbalance, energy-inefficient loss of conditioned air, condensation within the wall, and moisture durability issues.
Factsheet describing the importance of system charging, superheat and subcooling.
Information sheet outlining the criteria for ENERGY STAR qualified, windows, doors, and skylights.
Report assessing the performance and cost-effectiveness of a zero net energy community project in Davis, CA.
Information sheet explaining how weatherstripping can be an easy and cost-effective way to save money on energy costs and improve comfort by reducing drafts.
Report describing practices and considerationsfor more efficient water use in pools, spas, and fountains.
Resource that provides guidance when choosing products that meet WaterSense program requirements.
Report summarizing current research, summarizes issues that have been experienced with current best practices, and recommends ways in which the best practices can be improved for water managing sheathings.
Document providing guidance on water management concepts and applications.
Information sheet with the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.
Standards for requirements, performance, construction, workmanship and others for structural-use panels.
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.
Information sheet about proper ventilation and air sealing.
Information sheet providing information about vapor management.
Information sheet providing information about vapor management.
Information sheet providing information about vapor management.
Report on energy use for domestic water heating in multifamily buildings.
This study uses a computer simulation approach to examine the energy and indoor air quality implications of passive and hybrid ventilation systems.
Report focusing on the performance and durability of unvented-cathedralized attics in hot-humid climates with both tile and asphalt shingle roofing.
Document summarizing the various papers on unvented conditioned cathedralized attics found on BSC's website.
Report reviewing unvented roof assemblies, such as conditioned attics and unvented cathedral ceilings that are becoming common in North American construction.
Information sheet describing the function of a vapor barrier, and methods to retard the migration of water vapor.
NAFA’s user guide for understanding ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 52.2-2012.
Guide providing information about controlling rainwater through use of drainage planes.
Report providing guidance about whether to construct a vented or unvented attic based on hygro-thermal zone.
Information sheet providing definitions, applications, and techniques for applying air barriers.
Case study about affordable housing in a mixed, humid climate.
Website with consumer information about various types of lighting.
Information sheet about types and installation of insulation.
Research study describing research underway to better understand building thermal energy modeling tools.
Information sheet about transfer ducts and grilles.
Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent projects involving green home building programs.
In this project aimed to better understand the current usage of TRVs by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old TRVs as a means of controlling space temperatures and reducing heating fuel consumption.