Library

Online calculator for estimating payback of adding additional insulation to your house.

Website describing ways to prevent home house fires.

Report assessing the costs of home fire sprinkler systems.

Report documenting short-term test results of the Shift House and compares the results of Passive House Planning Package and Building Energy Optimization modeling of the project.

Website for consumers describing heat pump water heater technology and linking to retailers and installers.

Guide describing how to choose energy-efficient water heaters, including heat pump models, with tips on installation, rebates, and incentives for maximizing energy savings.

Article describing considerations for choosing a room-level air cleaner to improve indoor air quality.

A structural insulated panel (SIP) roof has no embedded lumber in the structure, and therefore nothing substantial for attaching PV array and solar hot water mounts. Single or double lumber splines could be put into the panels, or I-joists at 4-foot intervals could be added.

Factsheet describing how triple-pane windows can outperform standard single and double-pane windows.

Factsheet describing how HEScore, a tool used for energy modeling, rates home energy performance based on physical assets and makes recommendations for improvement.

Factsheet describing the advantages and disadvantages of induction cooktops and the role they play in energy efficiency.

Factsheet describing re-siding retrofits containing exterior insulation and window upgrades aimed at improved energy savings and comfort.

Factsheet describing tips for building or renovating with a focus on disaster resistance.

Factsheet describing the performance criteria and key components of DOE Zero Energy Ready homes.

Factsheet describing the importance of building enclosures and their impact on energy efficiency.

Factsheet outlining the advantages of using heat pumps, which are an efficient way to heat and cool a home.

Factsheet outlining how window attachments like cellular shades, roller shades, storm windows with low-emissivity coatings, and solar screens are low-cost steps that can be implemented to keep homes cool in the summer.

Webpage containing a library of ready-to-use social media posts, graphics and video links that promote life-saving information about how individuals and families can prepare for and survive during a hurricane.

Website detailing how to prepare for, stay safe during, and return home after hurricanes.

Webpage providing curriculum with links to presentations and problem sets for teaching an understanding of sizing cold climate heat pumps.

Report detailing the design and construction of 10 new houses under the Wyandotte Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2.

Report exploring four questions to determine the level of risk associated with adding drained exterior insulation to the exterior of an existing home during an energy retrofit.

Journal article presenting modeling of residential gas water heaters via dynamic simulation models to determine the effect of the pilot light on their annual energy consumption.

Report presenting improved air conditioner (AC) and heat pump (HP) modeling methods in the context of whole-building simulation tools.

Article describing the insurance savings of a home with a hip roof versus a gable roof from the perspective of an insurance advisor.

Webpage describing current and past versions of the International Mechanical Code (IMC), code establishing minimum regulations for mechanical systems, including heating, cooling, ventilation, exhaust, ducts, fireplaces, combustion and hydronic systems, using prescriptive and performance-related...

Webpage containing all editions of the International Residential Code (IRC), code for residential buildings that creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less, bringing together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions...

Research report discussing the reduction of HVAC energy consumption to meet U.S. greenhouse gas targets and DOE's energy-efficient building goals. It introduces iComfort, an IoT-based system for optimizing home comfort and energy savings.

Article describing walls and moisture development on them.

Report summarizing results of testing emerging combo water heating technologies under controlled laboratory operations, that differentiate the performance of the various packaged equipment configurations being offered.

Report providing information about laboratory testing of four residential window air conditioners.

Website describing best practices for minimizing exposure to lead while doing repairs and renovations in homes built in 1978 or earlier.

Information about LED lighting technology.

A website explaining why homeowners should install ENERGY STAR certified lightbulbs, which helps to save homeowners on utility bills and protect the environment.

Report presenting long-term evaluation results from a hot-dry climate project that examines thermal and HVAC performance in a highly efficient home.

Brochure describing use of low-e storm windows as effective ways weatherization programs can increase the efficiency of windows without significant costs.

Technical report assessing the market for Low-e storm windows based on market data, case studies, and recent experience with weatherization deployment programs.

Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.

Document providing information on the impact of various defects and the potential energy savings that can result from proper maintenance, and describing a two-step process for diagnosing and correcting faults. This document is targeted towards home performance contractors who are relatively...

Project discussing buried or encapsulated ducts and their pros and cons.

Document intended for designers and installers of hydronic heating systems interested in maximizing the overall system efficiency of condensing boilers when coupled with baseboard convectors. It is applicable to new and retrofit projects.

Report providing guidance on how to implement a compact duct system inside a plenum truss bulkhead of a one-story, slab-on-grade home.

Document covering the technical aspects of buried and insulated ducts (BEDs), as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and risks of BEDs compared to alternative strategies.

Document intending to put some context and structure around the process of balancing and tuning one-pipe steam systems to help practitioners begin to garner the potential in energy savings that this measure presents.

Research study analyzing measured energy savings from a moderate retrofit by comparing post-retrofit performance with measured pre-retrofit monitored data.

Research study outlining results of monitoring a low temperature heat pump.

Discussion of building sheathing.

Standard using performance-based principles to determine dead, live, soil, flood, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, earthquake, and wind loads, and their combinations for general structural design. This version of the standard was published in the year 2010 and is available in both digital and print...