Library

Document explaining the benefits of evaluating and identifying energy efficiency retrofit measures that could be made during renovation and maintenance of multifamily buildings.

Document serving as a starting point that features initial tools and resources for teams to start collaborating to continually improve the energy efficiency and durability of new houses.

Discussion of building sheathing.

Fact sheet describing recommendations for exceeding NFIP regulatory requirements for new construction and for repairs, remodeling, and additions, including building foundations, enclosures below the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), use of nonstructural fill, use of space below the BFE, utilities...

This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced.

Report providing performance results of a home's heat pump water heater and whole-house dehumidifier over a six-month period.

Report evaluating a test home built in Atlanta, GA in the mixed-humid climate zone. The report outlines the features of the house, discusses the implementation of the energy efficient design, and presents the results of short-term characterization testing.

The Technician's Guide equips practitioners with the knowledge to properly implement all of the measurement procedures required in the HVAC QI Specification.

Research study exploring retrofit procedures and simulated post-occupancy data for three homes in an effort to determine the effectiveness of retrofit packages.

A website covering the history of the lightbulb that includes a helpful timeline to illustrate lightbulb innovation from the 1800s - Present.

Report providing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis inherent to different models as a way of thinking about the transition from traditional business models into a viable model for delivering deep energy retrofits.

Article describing the perfect wall and and in what order to control rain, air, vapor, and heat.

Report about seeking a 30% source energy savings targets over a comparable 2009 International Energy Conservation Code-built home in the cold climate zone, using simple measures.

Even as the worst housing market correction in more than 60 years appeared to turn a corner in 2009, the fallout from sharply lower home prices and high unemployment continued.

Article about installing balanced ventilation systems.

Webpage providing guidance on the use of thermal mass with passive heating and cooling strategies.

Fact sheet outlining best design and construction practices for tile roofing in high wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Report about partnership to build three communities of net zero houses.

Research study describing research underway to better understand building thermal energy modeling tools.

Website with consumer information about various types of lighting.

Report describing actions home and business owners can take to deal with underground storage tanks that are displaced by flood waters and preventative steps they can take to reduce the likelihood of tank displacement in the future.

Article describing the impact of increasingly stringent ventilation standards on multifamily buildings, highlighting the inefficiencies and challenges of exhaust-only ventilation in tightly sealed enclosures, the complications of achieving balanced ventilation, and the unintended consequences of...

Report addressing the ever increasing percentage of whole house energy use that is attributable to miscellaneous electricity loads (MELs) and major appliances.

Technical fact sheet highlighting important building connections and illustrating the proper use of various types of connection hardware; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Fact sheet describing the purpose of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), how to obtain FIRMs, DFIRMs, and Flood Insurance Studies (FISs), and highlighting features that are important to coastal builders, including flood zones and flood elevations;; also...

Fact sheet describing the certification requirements for structural design and methods of construction in V Zones; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Research study comparing TRNSYS Type 604 pipe model against laboratory pipe heat loss test data and detailed field monitoring data.

Report discussing the measured variability in indoor space temperatures in a set of 60 homes located in Florida, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

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. This version of the standard was published in the year 2010, and is available for...

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. This version of the standard was published in the year 2013, and is available for...

Document outlining important safety considerations of ventless fireplaces.

Research study developed and verified a fuel oil flow field measurement protocol that is cost effective and can be performed with little training for use by the BB program as well as other weatherization programs and building science researchers.

Report describing filtration, distillation, and disinfection methods of water treatment.

Standard that provides expanded and updated requirements for producing, marketing, and specifying plywood for construction and industrial uses.

Factsheet describing the importance of system charging, superheat and subcooling.

A heat map showing the average number of tornadoes per year across the United States

Report providing guidance on how to improve the wind resistance of existing residential buildings in Mississippi and across the Gulf Coast.

Fact sheet describing flashing detail concepts for window and door openings that provide adequate resistance to water intrusion in coastal environments, do not depend solely on sealants, are integral with secondary weather barriers (e.g., housewrap), and are adequately attached to the wall...

A hurricane retrofit guide describing techniques for strengthening roof-to-wall connections for family homes.

Report summarizing information on wood as an engineering material, and presents properties of wood and wood-based products of particular concern to the architect and engineer.

Fact sheet describing typical wood-pile-to-beam connections; basic construction guidance for various connection methods, including connections for misaligned piles; and pile bracing connection techniques; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact...

Research study describing demonstration homes that provided a wealth of information for the building community in terms of the science, effort, and cost of increasing the energy efficiency of our nation's housing stock.

Report detailing retrofit of two existing houses in the Wyandotte Neighborhood program.