Library

This case study describes costs associated with the External Thermal and Moisture Management System developed by the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership for retrofitting roofs with rigid foam over the roof deck, especially on one and a half-story homes.

Fact sheet describing guidance for choosing appropriate materials and using proper construction practices when rebuilding, repairing, or renovating a home to increase its resistance to fires.

Research study evaluating energy savings and cost effectiveness of installing low-emissivity (low-e) storm windows over existing windows in residential homes in all climate zones.

Report covering exterior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.

Conference paper describing the use of engineered rainscreen products to provide air flow and water drainage space in wall assemblies in residential and commercial buildings.

Guide about designing and installing closed crawlspaces.

Website discusses differences between CFL and LED bulbs.

Report outlining the issues with using existing ducts with a new low-load HVAC system, which reduces throw at supply registers causing decreased mixing of supply and room air, leading to potential thermal comfort complaints.

Fact sheet describing drip irrigation for landscaping.

Report identifying two barriers that limit the ability of builders to explore opportunities for higher levels of energy efficiency in housing: the use of duct system materials that inherently achieve airtightness and are right-sized for low-load houses, and, the ability to air seal fire separation...

Poster describing earthquake safety tips and protection measures to take at home.

Standard providing minimum functionality requirements for earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff devices; applicable to systems carrying natural gas and propane, the devices are used in piping, equipment, and appliances typically found in structures of three stories or less.

Bulletin describing the components of ECM motors and comparing their efficiency with PSC motors.

A map describing the average temperature of shallow groundwater in Fahrenheit across the continental United States.

Technical report evaluating the effects of heat pump water heaters on heating and cooling energy usage in laboratory homes.

Report describing best practices for installing electric vehicle chargers.

A San Diego County standard highlighting the requirements for residential emergency vehicle turnarounds.

This study evaluates the energy, humidity and indoor air quality implications of residential ventilation cooling in all US IECC climate zones.

Powerpoint on attic ventilation developed as training material for the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Research study describing experiments run in an unoccupied 1600 square foot house to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump.

This publication provides a set of best practices for improving indoor air quality in conjunction with energy upgrade work in homes.

A standard providing minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings that are not low-rise residential buildings.

ENERGY STAR website providing information about programs, products and energy efficiency information.

Website providing consumer information about ceiling fans, including specifications and buying guidance.

ENERGY STAR specifications for residential window, door and skylights, Version 6, effective January 1, 2015.

Program criteria for residential exhaust fans used for ventilation.

Archived 2014 EPA newsroom release describing new EnergyStar standards for clothes dryers.

Factsheet describing steps builders should take to reduce erosion and control sediment on construction sites during home construction.

Homebuilding’s simple payback estimator for an insulation upgrade – the type and amount of insulation, square footage of the area, recent utility bill, and a quote from insulation contractor.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet that summarizes Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction including advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing truss wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

DOE-sponsored report describing the experimental setup and results of field studies on using interior cellular shading attachments to reduce solar heat gain in summer and reduce heat loss in winter.

Report analyzing results in crawlspace retrofits in multifamily buildings.

Report describing a research study into the performance of Low-E storm windows installed in two test homes at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state.

Technical report presenting the results of an evaluation of homes using high-efficiency mini-split heat pumps to supplement the primary heating and cooling systems.

Study investigating homeowner measure package choices in the Illinois Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program compared to cost-optimal choices determined through Building Energy Optimization (BEopt) modeling software.

Case study on exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air intake strategies implemented in high-performance new-construction multifamily buildings.

Report detailing the effects of replacing PSC motors with more efficient, variable-speed motors.

In this report, BSC seeks to research and report on the field monitoring of the performance of in-situ supplemental dehumidification systems in low-energy, high performance, homes in a hot-humid climate.

Technical report describing the evaluation of four different ventilation strategies for providing make-up air in high-performance, new construction multifamily buildings in the Northeast, emphasizing the challenges posed by increasing airtightness standards and the variability of system performance...

Report describing research that helps inform best practices for air-sealing multifamily buildings in the Northeast.

Article describing RESNET guidance on evaporative coolers.

Article describing benefits of ECM motors and how they can be installed as retrofit motors in HVAC equipment.

Case study describing novel technique for installing exterior spray foam on foundation walls that uses high-pressure water sprayer and a “hydro vac” to remove dirt along the foundation wall.

Website providing links to scalable guidance and tools about the importance of earthquake mitiation to the private sector, its owners, managers, and employees.

Report on the field evaluation of whole-building approaches and estimation of the relative contributions of select technologies toward reducing energy use related to space conditioning in new manufactured homes.

Report describing the in situ performance evaluation of newly released heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), highlighting their energy and cost savings potential compared to conventional electric resistance water heaters and other alternatives, based on data collected from installations in Massachusetts...

Report describing research about a test implementation of an unvented tile roof assembly in a hot-humid climate.