Library

Article describing ways builders can improve the hurricane resistance of the homes they construct, especially 1) strengthening the continuous load path, 2) upgrading the building envelope, and 3) improving the roof system performance.

Report describing a project whose goal was to determine the prevalence of residential comfort system faults with a focus on air conditioners and heat pumps, and on key faults that can occur during installation: (1) incorrect refrigerant charge level (undercharge or overcharge); (2) indoor coil...

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

Fact sheet describing advanced wall framing.

Report (1) compares existing measurement methods, based on field testing in a wide range of buildings, (2) presents the development of two new methods to directly measure exterior and interior leakage of an attached unit, and compares to existing methods; and (3) experimentally evaluates the...

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.

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.

Webpage showing the minimum efficiency levels and maximum sound levels for ENERGY STAR certified residential ventilating fans.

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.

Fact sheet describing actions homeowners can take to safely cleanup their homes after a flood with links to additional resources from the EPA.

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.

Video course by the Lighting Controls Academy presenting an overview of the basic functionality of today’s lighting controls, benefits and the basic questions to ask when identifying an appropriate lighting control strategy

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

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.

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.

Report documenting the Transformative Efficiency and Automation in Modular Homes (TEAMH) project, which evaluates the integration of advanced building envelope technologies and automation-assisted modular construction to improve residential energy performance and construction efficiency.