Library

Report describing approaches to using less wood in home building that minimize waste.

Fact sheet describing advanced wall framing.

Article describing recessed lighting, which if installed incorrectly may contribute to air leakage and compromise building envelope efficiency.

A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.

Report describing approaches to insulating basements in homes built to meet Energy Star levels of performance of heat loss reduction.

Fact sheet describing basement insulation considerations.

Brochure intended to provide readers with a working knowledge of residential heating and cooling duct systems.

Report describing the recommended best practices to achieve energy savings without compromising health or safety.

Document providing a resource to help builders large and small build high-quality, energy-efficient homes that achieve 30% energy savings in space conditioning and water heating in the hot and humid climate.

Fact sheet providing background and technical information on Trombe wall design

Document illustrating some analysis concepts that are proven to be effective and reliable in analyzing the transient energy usage of advanced energy systems as well as of entire houses.

Information sheet containing images and descriptions of cantilevers.

Part 2 of an article discussing how to maximize two-pipe steam systems for resident space heating.

Report investigating the nature, strength, and durability of connections between high performance dwellings and developments.

Study investigating measured cooling energy performance in side-by-side identical homes with varying roof types, including cool roof technologies.

Report outlining how conditioned crawlspaces perform better than vented crawlspaces in terms of safety, health, comfort, durability and energy consumption.

Study describing efforts and outcomes in developing color-pigmented roofing products with coatings to increase solar reflectance.

Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of finished and unfinished metal roofing systems on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

Article from NAHB research center describing home building techniques for homes in hot climate zones.

Report using relative humidity and temperature data from NOAA to measure average equilibrium moisture content for each month of the year in 262 locations in the United States and 122 locations outside the United States.

Report comparing a high-performance house with a code-built control home.

Report providing guidelines and procedures to determine whether damaged or potentially damaged buildings are safe for use after wind storms or floods, or if entry should be restricted or prohibited.

Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of various roof types on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Article describing the effective R-values of various subslab insulation products, including foil bubble pack.

Results from a research program testing airtightness, implications of air leakage and contaminant reduction over the garage-to-house interface.

Report discussing the potential energy savings of new high-efficiency downlights, and the results of product testing to date.

A report describing the development of a methodology to properly size heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment for concrete homes in the US and Canada.

Report presenting system design packages for cold and mixed-humid climates.

Article describing the effect metal roofs have on thermal performance in hot-humid climates.

Report showing installers how to attach ducts, pipes, and associated equipment to buildings to minimize earthquake damage.

Report that describes BSC's Houses That Work II (HTWII) climate-specific technical resource, beginning with an overall HTWII introduction and four sections explaining the four most important hygro-thermal climate regions: Hot-Humid, Mixed-Humid, Cold, and Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry.

Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more hurricane resistant.

Article describing dozens of ideas on how to retrofit a home so it is more earthquake ready.

Study investigating measured cooling energy savings in homes across the U.S. from the installation of roofing with higher solar reflectance.

Information sheet with nail withdrawl capacities in OSB.

Standards for requirements, performance, construction, workmanship and others for structural-use panels.

Fact sheet describing how to prepare for a natural disaster and assemble a disaster supply kit.

Report aiming to "de-mystify" technology and economic considerations of residential PV systems.

Table calculating friction losses of PVC pipe fittings.

Table calculating friction losses for PVC pipe by length.

Report describing how to construct a frost protected shallow foundation (FPSF) as a practical alternative to a deeper, more-costly foundation in cold regions with seasonal ground freezing and the potential for frost heave.

Report seeking to teach building contractors and building inspectors the correct methods for doing typical seismic retrofits that have been designed by an engineer or architect or described in a prescriptive standard.

Description of California Senate Bill SB 1898, which requires the sale of new seismic gas shutoff devices sold in California to be certified by the State Architect.

Report providing information based on research and case studies, to remodelers and consumers about opportunities to increase home energy performance.

Report outlining a case study about a building project in the hot-humid climate zone.

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).

Report developed for Habitat for Humanity about lessons learned from demonstration retrofit projects undertaken by Habitat for Humanity affiliates in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; with building systems consulting and technical assistance provided by Steven Winter Associates.

Paper describing testing for the first of a series of six near net-zero-energy test houses, using the results to work towards the construction of a true net-zero-energy house.