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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 1 - 31 of 31

Why Add a Tank to a Tankless Water Heater?

Author(s)
Chandler Michael
Organization(s)
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Publication Date
Article about one way to deal with the cold-water surprise effect of tankless water heaters.

Features, Advantages of Condensing Boilers

Author(s)
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Engineering
Organization(s)
HPAC Engineering
Publication Date
An engineering design guide for hydronic heat loops, discussing the features and advantages of condensing boilers.

Air Flow Control in Buildings, BSD-014

Author(s)
Straube John
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Information on the control of air flow across building enclosures to control moisture damage, reduce energy losses, and ensure occupant comfort and health. A continuous, strong, stiff, durable and air impermeable air barrier system is required between the exterior and conditioned space to control...

WaterSense High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet Specification

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
WaterSense
Organization(s)
EPA,
WaterSense
Publication Date
Specification of criteria for lavatory faucets and faucet accessories under the U.S. EPA WaterSense Program.

Decks in the Line of Fire

Author(s)
Bolton Bill
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Article describing codes and test methods related to fire-resistant construction of decks.

EIFS - Problems and Solutions, BSD-146

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report on problems and solutions with EIFS stucco wall cladding systems.

The Winding Road Towards "Zero" Energy: Lessons From Monitoring Efficient Solar Homes

Author(s)
Puttagunta Srikanth,
Aldrich Robb,
Owens Douglas,
Vijayakumar Gayathri
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Report presenting results from whole-house monitoring efforts in hope that they may be useful for others moving towards zero energy homes.

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.

Indoor Air Quality Certification

Author(s)
Scientific Certification Systems
Organization(s)
SCS
Publication Date
Standard supporting indoor air quality performance by producers, purchasers and policy makers to improve the environmental performance of products and services.

Unvented Roof Assemblies for All Climates, BSD-149

Author(s)
Schumacher Christopher
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report reviewing unvented roof assemblies, such as conditioned attics and unvented cathedral ceilings that are becoming common in North American construction.

Energy Efficient Low-Income Housing Program: PIER Final Project Report

Author(s)
ADM Associates,
California Energy Commission,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
Florida Solar Energy Center
Organization(s)
CEC,
LBNL,
FSEC
Publication Date
Research project addressing low-cost options that reduce monthly energy costs and improve the quality of life by enhancing comfort levels in low-income homes.

NOAA's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: the Enhanced Fujita Scale

Author(s)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Weather Service
Organization(s)
NOAA,
NWS
Publication Date
The Enhanced F-scale is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage which uses three-second gusts estimated at the point of damage based on a judgment of 8 levels of damage to the 28 indicators listed.

2006 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2006 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...

Comparison of Measured and Calculated Residential Cooling Loads

Author(s)
Barnaby Charles S,
Wilcox Bruce A
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Technical report detailing a study in which actual cooling loads are compared to modeled cooling loads.

EPA Region 8 Headquarters

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Brochure providing information on the design of the EPA Region 8 headquarters in Denver, CO.

Guide to Insulating Sheathing

Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Guide providing information on using exterior foam insulating sheathing in building wall assemblies to enhance thermal performance.

Moisture, Mold and Construction Practices

Author(s)
U.S. Gypsum Company
Organization(s)
U.S. Gypsum Company
Publication Date
Brochure discussing specific practices for mitigating moisture and mold during the construction process.

Preventing Ice Dams Fact Sheet

Author(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Organization(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.