Library

Building code for the state of Florida.

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 providing builders in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Article describing thermal bridging, construction practices that encourage thermal bridging, and solutions.

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...

Standard providing guidance on how to select, size, and locate the supply air diffusers, grilles and registers, and the return grilles.

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...

Brochure about creating an air barrier by sealing drywall assemblies.

Brochure about creating an air barrier at tub, shower and fireplace walls.

Manual describing best practices or home construction in Alaska and northern climates.

Paper describing an experiment to quantify shade tree impacts on cooling-related electricity consumption, finding that there may be sizable benefits in hot regions.

Report summarizing systems research activities for new housing in hot-humid climates, including NightCool, interior duct systems in manufactured housing, ventilation and dehumidification, plug load reduction and solar and conventional hot water.

Report about a building project in the marine climate.

Document highlighting federal accessibility laws which may apply to a housing development, and common mistakes made in the field which, if avoided, will help to ensure compliance.

Information sheet describing techniques for insulating basements.

Article describing how demand plumbing systems send cold water back to the water heater until hot water arrives at the sink, shower or other fixture where it is needed.

Case study describing solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in new construction.

Article explaining the importance of regular inspections of boiler systems in maintaining their safety, lifespan, and efficiency.

Brochure about air sealing windows.

Brochure explaining the essential basis for advanced framing and some of the more common advanced framing details.

Brochure providing information about flashing in all cimates.

Fact sheet describing air-sealing at rim joists.

Brochure with details on HVAC duct air sealing.

Brochure with information about ducts in conditioned space.

Brochure with information on maintaining drainage plane continuity at deck ledger locations.

Information sheet with details on pan flashing for exterior walls.

Information sheet about sealing combustion appliances to ensure good indoor air quality.

Information sheet about insulating slabs.

Information sheet about soil gas control strategies for foundations.

Information sheet offering general recommendations on supplemental humidity control and outlines viable system configurations.

Information sheet providing recommendations on the installation of vapor control layers.

Information sheet providing information about vapor management in building assemblies.

Presentation describing details for installing structural insulated panels (SIPs).

Case study describing solar thermal and photovoltaic systems in new construction.

Presentation about building highly efficient, affordable homes that will achieve 40% whole-house energy savings in mixed-humid climates.

Document describing the Building America research benchmark for the residential building program.

Document describing the Building America research benchmark for the residential building program.

Report considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

Document with the Quality Control Checklist developed as both a guide to assist in the transition to high performance home building, and as a simplified tool to be used as part of any builder's on-site quality control procedures.

Article describing customer tip sheet and how ceiling fans are one of the most popular and generally well regarded of all home energy efficiency features.

Report aimed to quantify the impact of closed crawlspaces in new homes, and investigate modeling software to ensure accuracy of energy consumption predictions in these homes.

Two hourly energy simulation software, BEopt and Energy Gauge USA, were compared to ensure accuracy and evaluate agreement on the impact of various energy efficiency improvements.

Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.

Document discussing moisture considerations and testing techniques for concrete floors.

Information sheet about crawlspace insulation, including installation details.

Technical fact sheet proving information on creating defensible space to reduce the risk of damage from fires to property.

Information sheet providing information about investigating the thermal effect of staggering the inner and outer wall studs on double walls in new construction.

Brochure describing drainage planes, also referred to as water resistive barriers.

Federal statistics about national energy consumption in residential homes.

Discussion of structural thermal resistance.