Library

A recovery advisory guide presenting important recommendations to reduce wind and water infiltration damage to new and existing residential buildings.

Summary document describing flood resistant building materials and some tips for building flood resistant walls.

Technical bulletin describing a set of standards for building materials able to withstand flood waters as needed with wet floodproofing.

Factsheet describing backflow valve benefits and tips.

Brochure detailing how to latch and lock cabinets and drawers to prevent injury to residents of the home.

Information sheet providing detail about hand fabrication of a one-piece straight duct from a 48" x 120" x 1" thick (1.22 m x 3.05 m x 25 mm) sheet where the total inside duct dimensions equals 112" (2.84 m) or less.

Article defining terms and testing requirements for fire-resistant construction materials including combustible, noncombustible, fire-resistant or fire-resistance, and ignition-resistant.

Journal article describing energy and cost savings potential from air sealing multifamily town homes.

Brochure-guide describing swales and their qualities, including objective, maintenance, and design considerations.

Article describing the history and the current debate about how to adjust the Florida building codes.

Fact sheet describing the acceptable underlayment alternatives including ASTM D6757 Underlayment Felt Containing Inorganic Fibers for Steep-Slope Roofing for certain applications.

Checklist providing recommendations for the right tape in order to reduce the risk of leaks during storms with wind-driven rain.

Factsheet describing ways to install sheathing over existing 1x roof decking.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for Existing Homes.

Checklist providing good and bad methods of fortifying the roof, especially in hurricanes.

Checklist providing selection and installation guidance for residential, non-structural metal roof systems installed over wood roof decks with a roof slope 2:12 or greater to comply with section R905.1 of the 2015 IRC for a FORTIFIED Roof – New Roof Designation.

Website providing technical documents of checklists, calculators, bulletin, modular home toolkit, standard details, and corrosion resistance requirements – map set; describing the requirements of the IBHS Fortified Home program to improve the disaster resistance of new and existing homes.

Guide describing retrofit procedures for gable end roofs.

A builder's guide describing hurricane-resistant reinforcements for gable ends.

Standard that applies to storage water heaters, instantaneous water heaters, and circulating water heaters including booster water heaters; the current version of this standard was published in the year 2019 and it is available for purchase along with a digital preview on the ANSI webstore page.

Report investigating the status of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry and technology in the United States, assembling GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate adoption of GHPs.

Fact sheet defining a grid-interactive efficient building and its benefits.

Report evaluating HVAC building technologies based on their ability to provide grid services and the type of value provided, including efficiency, load shed, load shift, and modulation.

Report evaluating lighting and electronic building technologies based on their ability to provide grid services and the type of value provided, including efficiency, load shed, load shift, and modulation.

Report providing an introduction to core concepts of GEBs, and explaining how flexible building loads can be integrated and controlled to benefit consumers, the grid, and society more broadly.

Report addressing the current state of these technologies and the challenges of adapting these to the GEB context.

Report focuseing on dynamic window and opaque envelope technologies for GEBs, including electrochromic glazing, automated attachments, and thermal storage.

Website article touring areas hit hardest by tornadoes to see how they are building differently to protect against the next big twister.

Report describing tsunamis and options for vertical evacuation from tsunamis; the guide addresses determination of tsunami and earthquake loads and structural design criteria and concepts, primarily for commercial buildings.

Report about indoor air quality related to indoor mold growth.

Report describing the various heat pump retrofit options for multifamily buildings in the U.S., segmented by building typology and heating system, to support better environmental, economic, and health outcomes.

Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.

Report about measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers.

Article from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

Factsheet describing proper methods for installing vinyl siding and soffit coverings in high wind and coastal areas.

Article presenting the 2008 update on the 2006 details on when required hurricane mitigation retrofits are required and the cost cap on required hurricane mitigation retrofits.

Book providing project management guidance in maintaining satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied buildings undergoing renovation or construction.

Article describing how air speed affects thermal comfort and how fans can provide energy savings.

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

A factsheet providing information on how to prevent pests from entering the home by sealing cracks and openings.

Video describing how a frost-protected shallow foundation (FPSF) is constructed and including use of a stay-in-place EPS (expanded polystyrene) footing form that provides insulation and simplifies the installation of frost-protected monolithic concrete slab foundations.

Video describing how a frost-protected shallow foundation (FPSF) is constructed and including use of a stay-in-place EPS (expanded polystyrene) footing form that provides insulation and simplifies the installation of frost-protected monolithic concrete slab foundations.

Article describing the second step of a three-step process for the installation a tubular skylight, using peel-and-stick flashing tape instead of roof cement, and integrating the roof underlayment with the flashing.

Article describing methods for designing and constructing multifamily buildings with insulating concrete forms (ICFs).

Report about promoting energy efficiency for Hilton Head Island.

Guide describing tools for island and hurricane-prone communities on redevelopment and rehabilitation of homes to prepare for future natural disasters.

Webpage describing how to conserve heat or find alternative heat sources during a power outage to keep one room warm.

Webpage describing a lightbulb exchange program in Fairfax county, VA.

A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.