Library

Webpage from Boston Solar describing how solar plus storage options can be beneficial for maintaining electricity during power outages.

Article describing how moisture accumulates inside of structures and issues that result.

Conference paper making the case that moving ducts to conditioned space saves energy, is practical for production builders (when accompanied by careful pre-planning), and creates significant andmarketable energy savings for homebuyers.

Report discussing development of scopes of work and quality management for builders in mixed-humid climates.

NFPA standard for design and installation of indoor automatic fire sprinkler systems.

Report about an experimental evaluation has been conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

A nine-part fact sheet covering a variety of common questions surrounding wildfires and how to make a home more resilient to wildfires.

Report providing guidance on protecting foundation walls and enclosures from flood damage.

Report providing information on performance of mortars and concrete containing PCMs.

Report briefly reviewing past research on the effects of occupant behavior on residential energy use and then covering a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida.

Large scale simulation study investigating the effects of cool roofs and walls on buildings of various vintages across the U.S., with special attention given to California.

Webpage describing steps homeowners can take to prepare their home and car for winter storms.

Webpage describing steps homeowners can take to prepare their home and car for winter storms.

Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.

Report providing wildfire protection guidance for homeowners in California.

Document outlining the approach to quality assurance in the construction process as recommended by Building Science Corporation for new residential construction.

Flyer describing reasons and best practices for raising electrical systems above flood-levels.

Report describing methods for reducing the cost of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Guidance document describing urban heat islands, what they are, how they form, why we care, and including some strategies to reduce them.

Guide providing information for professional builders and contractors rehabbing flooded single-family houses with emphasis on safe practices and the most important activities in the rehab process.

Document presenting results from testing prototype HVAC duct system designs that would locate the entire length of duct work within the air and thermal barriers of the building envelope. These include one that incorporated a high-side supply register, one that utilized a single soffit located within...

Report identifying efficient, connected, smart, and flexible GEB technologies and their future potential, including barriers and opportunities, recommendations for policymakers, and research needs.

A student manual for containing information on residential sprinkler systems.

Report describing the costs, benefits, and challenges of attic insulation retrofits in HUD-code manufactured homes.

Webpage describing the basics of solar plus storage operations on homes.

California Energy Commission report presenting the concept of cool walls and providing guidelines for their building- and climate-appropriate use to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Standard that defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential buildings; published in the year 2019, and is available for preview and purchase at the...

Standard that covers the minimum performance and acceptance criteria for an air barrier (AB) material or system for framed walls of low-rise buildings with the service life of the building wall in mind. This link directs to a preview of the current version of the standard, published in the year 2019...

Specification describing criteria for manufactured polymeric materials used to provide a rainscreen function, a means for the drainage of liquid moisture and the ventilation of vapor moisture that enters an above-grade exterior wall assembly which was published in the year 2019, and is available for...

This standard specification covers the classification, composition, physical properties, and dimensions of mineral fiber (rock, slag, or glass) blanket intended for use as thermal insulation on surfaces at various temperature ranges. This version of the standard was published in the year 2019 and is...

Standard describing a test method measuring air-leakage rates through a building envelope under controlled pressurization and de-pressurization which was published in the year 2019 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Standard that describes the principles for the design of a hot box apparatus and the minimum requirements for the determination of steady state thermal performance of building assemblies when exposed to controlled laboratory conditions. The current version of the standard was published in 2019, and...

Article describing three ways to strengthen the roof-to-wall connections in an existing home.

Recovery advisory presenting key wind retrofit guidelines for buildings located in hurricane-prone regions. These retrofit guidelines are intended to help building owners and designers prevent or limit wind damage and water infiltration during high-wind events.

Presentation by the Washington University in St. Louis Office of Sustainability on saving energy.

Fact sheet providing the wind resistant provisions of the 2015 International Residential Code.

Report illustrating CAD drawings and modeling of bracing layouts for a gable roof truss.

Case study of new home construction in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climate zones.

Document providing an overview of the Thermal Bypass Checklist for the ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes program.

Factsheet providing design guidance for engineers describing how to characterize snow drifts on roofs in three dimensions rather than two, as anticipated in the 2022 edition of the standards, ASCE 7 - Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent...

Training course describing how to incorporate trees into an energy-conserving landscape.

Document providing a case study of commissioned performance measures that justify costs for these demonstration and "live" show homes.

Document describing the measured annual performance data from 12 recent-vintage very low energy homes in the US.

Report describing concentrations of 54 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ventilation rates that were measured in four new manufactured houses over 2 - 9.5 months following installation and in seven new site built houses 1 - 2 months after completion.

A guide describing how to do wall bracing calculations and evaluations.

A preparedness guide guiding homeowners on how to secure an indoor home water heater safely to wall studs.

Web-based manual providing guidance for removal and preventing entry of nuisance wildlife.

Report describing results of a workshop assessing current and future strategies for research into disaster resilience and energy efficiency in buildings.