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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 151 - 200 of 324

Expert Meeting Report: Achieving the Best Installed Performance from High-Efficiency Residential Gas Furnaces

Author(s)
Brand Larry
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting identifying installation practices that provide the best installed efficiency for residential gas furnaces, explain how AFUE and field efficiency can differ, and investigate the impact of installation practices on the efficiency and long-term durability of the furnace.

Expert Meeting Report: Advanced Envelope Research for Factory Built Housing

Author(s)
Levy Emanuel,
Kessler B,
Rath Pournamasi,
Tompos Eric,
Mullens Michael A
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report about the Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with urgently-needed, cost effective methods for meeting emerging energy code requirements.

Expert Meeting Report: Cladding Attachment Over Exterior Insulation

Author(s)
Baker Peter
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report about an expert meeting focused on issues surrounding cladding attachment and performance of walls with exterior insulating sheathing.

Expert Meeting Report: Energy Savings You Can Bank On

Author(s)
Berman Mark,
Springer Jeremy,
Smith Pepper,
Porse Erik
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting on the topic of performance guarantees and financing vehicles for energy efficiency upgrades.

Expert Meeting Report: Exploring the Disconnect Between Rated and Field Performance of Water Heating Systems

Author(s)
Hoeschele Marc,
Weitzel Elizabeth
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
The main objective of this expert meeting was to bring together a group of experts intimately involved with issues related to assessing the performance of residential high efficiency water heating systems.

Expert Meeting Report: Simplified Space Conditioning Strategies for Energy Efficient Houses

Author(s)
Stecher Dave
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Expert meeting held to discuss simplified space conditioning systems in low load homes, including the relationship between advanced thermal enclosures, space conditioning systems and comfort.

Extended Plate and Beam Wall System

Author(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
HIRL,
DOE
Publication Date
Report that demonstrates the durability, constructability, and cost-effectiveness of the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system for new construction housing projects in compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, addressing moisture risk management and high-performance envelope...

Extended Plate Wall System Expands Adoption of High-R Envelope Solutions

Author(s)
Burkett Lena,
Gunderson Patti
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing the Extended Plate Wall (EPW) a system that incorporates a 2-inch layer of foam plastic insulative sheathing within the framing for top and bottom plates, streamlining air sealing, window and door installation, weather resistive barrier application, and cladding attachment for...

Fans for Cooling

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
DOE webpage that gives and overview of fans for cooling.

Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats

Author(s)
Sachs Olga,
Tiefenbeck Verena,
Duvier Caroline,
Qin Angela,
Cheney Kate,
Akers Craig,
Roth Kurt
Organization(s)
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems,
Fraunhofer CSE,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study evaluating a low-cost and scalable way to reduce heating energy consumption using the energy-saving features of programmable thermostats (i.e., automatic daytime and nighttime setbacks).

Field Monitoring Protocol: Mini-Split Heat Pumps

Author(s)
Christensen Dane,
Tomerlin Jeff,
Winkler Jon,
Hancock Ed,
Fang Xia
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Information sheet with an analysis of mini split heat pump systems.

Field Test Protocol: Standard Internal Load Generation for Unoccupied Test Homes

Author(s)
Christensen Dane,
Barker Greg M,
Hancock Ed,
Fang Xia
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Mountain Energy Partnership,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing a simple and general way to generate House Simulation Protocol (HSP)-consistent internal sensible and latent loads in unoccupied homes.

Fort Devens: Cold Climate, Energy-Efficient, Market-Rate Townhomes

Author(s)
Zoeller William,
Grab Joanna,
Slattery Matt
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

Geospatial Data Science

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
NREL,
DOE
Publication Date
Website with prepopulated information about the United States renewable resources.

Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market Status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barriers

Author(s)
Hughes Patrick J
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report investigating the status of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry and technology in the United States, assembling GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate adoption of GHPs.

Greenbelt Homes Pilot Energy Efficiency Programs Phase 1 Summary: Existing Conditions and Baseline Energy Use

Author(s)
Wiehagen Joseph,
Del Bianco Marie,
Wood Amber
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report detailing field walk-through evaluations, energy simulations for projected savings with exterior insulation upgrades, building envelope energy improvement cost estimates, and installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment and data.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Author(s)
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Website highlighting the DOE Building Technologies Office Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Initiative, including technical reports, other publications, resources, and presentations.

Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Fact sheet defining a grid-interactive efficient building and its benefits.

Ground Source Integrated Heat Pump for Near Zero Energy Houses: Technology Status Report.

Author(s)
Murphy Richard W,
Rice C Keith,
Baxter Van D,
Craddick William G
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Report describing the ground-source IHP (GS-IHP) design and includes the lessons learned and best practices revealed by the research and development (R&D) effort throughout.

High Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems, Volume 6

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Ruiz Kathi,
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
Report providing an introduction to current photovoltaic and solar thermal building practices.

High Performance Walls in Hot-Dry Climates

Author(s)
Hoeschele Marc,
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
German Alea
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.

High-Efficiency Window Air Conditioners

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Factsheet profiling a simple modification that can be made to window air-conditioners to improve their energy efficiency.

Home Cooling Systems

Author(s)
Energy Saver
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Website providing information on low-energy and standard cooling systems, with a focus on saving energy.

HVAC – Cold Climate Heat Pump Sizing

Author(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
PNNL,
DOE
Publication Date
Webpage providing curriculum with links to presentations and problem sets for teaching an understanding of sizing cold climate heat pumps.

HVAC A Guide for Contractors to Share with Homeowners, Volume 14

Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L,
Baechler Michael C,
Hefty Marye G,
Hand James R,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report providing information about energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) equipment options to help homeowners cut their energy use, reduce their carbon footprint, and increase their homes comfort, health, and safety.

Impacts of Shading and Glazing Combinations on Residential Energy Use in a Hot Dry Climate

Author(s)
Farrar-Nagy Sara,
Anderson Ren,
Hancock C E,
Reeves Paul
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Partnership for Resource Conservation,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Study evaluating opportunities for reducing cooling energy use in a hot dry climate through the use of shading and window options.

Improving Recessed Lighting

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Report providing information about techniques and approaches to improve the efficiency of recessed lighting.

Installing and Maintaining Evaporative Coolers

Author(s)
Otterbein Roy
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Article describing what evaporative coolers are, how they work, different types, performance, where they are appropriate, and how to install and maintain them.

Insulate Steam Distribution and Condensate Return Lines

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing principles of insulating steam distribution and condensate return lines as an effective way to prevent energy loss.

Interactive Walk-Through of a Residential Heat Pump Water Heater Installation in Massachusetts

Author(s)
D+R Learn,
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships,
Home Works Energy Inc.,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
This webpage provides an interactive walk-through of the installation of a heat pump water heater in a home in Massachusetts, including how-to videos of the installation, video interviews with the homeowners, installer, and utility program partners, and visual tours of the home before and after...

IoT-Based Comfort Control and Fault Diagnostics System for Energy-Efficient Homes

Author(s)
O'Neill Zheng,
Tao Yang,
Jin Wen,
Kimball Richard,
Ningxuan Wen,
Taasevigen Danny,
Xiao Hai
Organization(s)
Texas A&M University,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research report discussing the reduction of HVAC energy consumption to meet U.S. greenhouse gas targets and DOE's energy-efficient building goals. It introduces iComfort, an IoT-based system for optimizing home comfort and energy savings.

Laboratory Evaluation of Energy Recovery Ventilators

Author(s)
Kosar Douglas
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Gas Technology Institute,
GTI Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report targeting the growing number of homes utilizing deep retrofit measures and new construction practices to realize sufficiently lower infiltration levels that require mechanical ventilation as prescribed by ASHRAE Standard 62.2.

Laboratory Testing of Aerosol for Enclosure Air Sealing

Author(s)
Modera Mark,
Harrington Curtis
Organization(s)
Western Cooling Efficiency Center - UC Davis,
Building Industry Research Alliance,
BIRA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Research study to help development of an application protocol for aerosol sealing of building shells that will eventually be demonstrated on buildings in retrofit and new construction.