Library

2009 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

Webpage with links for all 2010 Florida building codes.

2012 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

A guidebook helping builders in hot-humid climates design and construct homes for energy efficiency, durability, health, safety, and comfort.

Report describing measures that builders in mixed-humid climates can use to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Document describing advancement in factory built housing innovations.

Article describing methods for venting a vented attic and a roof assembly over an unvented attic.

Paper discussing innovative strategies for improving ventilation systems in high-rise apartment buildings, focusing on compartmentalization and controlling stack effect pressures to enhance indoor air quality and energy efficiency published in the Proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Building...

Document describing adobe construction, its weakness to earthquakes, and techniques used to improve seismic resistance for both new construction and existing adobe buildings.

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

Report investigating implemention of advanced power strips for entertainment and home office electronics would reduce energy consumption across the residential market.

Document providing guideance and considerations for duct design in an energy efficient house.

Fact sheet describing advanced wall framing.

Document reporting results from a study done to evaluate effects of automotive emissions from attached garages on the indoor environment.

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

Website article interviewing the inventor of the Larsen truss, a history of its use, and a discussion of its advantages and disadvantages.

Article about different types of weather resistant barrier.

Report providing information regarding the benefits and challenges associated with the installation of earthquake-actuated automatic shut-off valves (ASVs) or remote-control valves (RCVs) to stop the flow of natural gas into buildings in the event of an earthquake or rupture of the gas line.

Technical report describing the thermal performance of 40 common building envelope details for mid- and high-rise buildings, including analyses to optimize energy efficiency and reduce thermal bridging.

Report describing methodology to assess and improve the accuracy of whole building energy analysis for residential buildings.

Report describing information for builders and retrofitters about eliminating hazards and coincidental energy losses that come from attached garages.

SPFA website signup page to access SPFA documents.

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.

Research study discussing how housewraps restrict or permit the passage of water molecules based on size, but cannot control the direction in which the water vapor molecules move.

Article describing selecting insulation for minimizing condensation risks.

Guide describing measures that builders in the cold and very cold climates can take to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

This report will review, and summarize the current state of understanding and research into enclosures with higher thermal resistance, so-called “High-R Enclosures.” Recommendations are provided for further research.

Document about testing software predictions of retrofit energy savings in existing homes.

Presentation about advanced framing techniques.

Document detailing how to build radon-resistant homes.

Document outlining building science principles about air flow, heat flow and moisture flow in homes.

Training manual on how to locate ducts within conditioned space and compact design.

Report about the fundamental concepts that must be understood at the planning or initial nspection of existing homes regarding surface and ground water management.

Information sheet containing images and descriptions of cantilevers.

Report summarizing the key opportunities, gaps, and barriers identified by the national laboratory white papers discussing long-term 50% energy reduction goals.

Document with information from a workshop addressing framing materials for residential buildings in California. A copy of the document can be requested at the resource link, and an online copy of the document can be found by searching for it on the California Energy Commission's Library Online...

Volume 1 of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, and risk management for homes constructed in coastal environments.

Volume II of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to design, construction, and renovation of homes located in coastal environments.

Website discussing building foundation problems caused by settling soil in Colorado.

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

Document containing a 3D drawing (CAD) of advanced framing details.

Report about a hybrid condensing water heater (thermal efficiency = 0.973, energy factor = 0.95) installed in an occupied home in Sacramento, California, and monitored for one year to determine the actual in situ efficiency.

A website explaining how to properly dispose of old refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment.

Article describing research encouraging use of exterior insulation to warm interior sheathing surfaces in walls and roof assemblies to reduce the likelihood of condensation during cold weather

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.

Information sheet with construction details, pros and cons of insulated concrete forms.

Article describing strategies for reducing the risk of ice dam formation on roofs in winter.

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.

A research paper exploring the installation and mounting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on rooftops and the challenges faced by system designers and installers.