Library

This document addresses adding—or improving—mechanical ventilation systems to existing homes. The purpose of ventilation is to remove contaminants from homes either directly or by dilution. This report discusses where, when, and how much ventilation is appropriate in a home, including some...

Report describing solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates.

Report describing a lighting and smart power strip retrofit evaluation that was conducted on 56 all-electric, existing Florida homes to see how lighting and miscellaneous electric loads might be reduced.

Standard that prescribes a testing method to determine the efficiency of space heating and/or cooling thermal distribution systems under seasonal and design conditions. This version of the standard was published in the year 2014, and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link. The...

This report investigates whether mini-split heat pumps can live up to their potential for one market segment: multifamily retrofits.

Online course providing an overview of mold prevention and mold remediation.

List of products approved by the Master Painters Institute.

Database compiling extended capacity data for numerous cold climate heat pump manufacturers and models.

Webpage outlining important considerations when remodeling, including for maintaining healthy air and keeping radon, dirt, and moisture out.

Website to access Oregon state specialty code. Chapter 11 contains requirements concerning energy efficiency measures in residential buildings.

Report presenting performance results from tests conducted on an energy efficiency retrofit project in Stockton, California.

Technical report describing research aimed to provide window manufacturers with foundational guidance for installing windows in walls with continuous insulation (CI), addressing critical aspects such as evaluating common installation methods, establishing acceptance criteria for window performance...

Information sheet providing guidance about the placement of ventilation approaches.

Manual describing design, detailing, material selection and troubleshooting for plaster, IEFs, and drywall, with information on continuous insulation, air barriers, rain screens, and ratings for fire and sound.

Report describing the key findings from the first third-party field validation of 120-volt heat pump water heater (HPWH) technology, addressing the significant barriers to their adoption and emphasizing their potential role in reducing carbon emissions from residential water heating.

Fact sheet poster describing an online tool offered within the Building America Solution Center which provides construction guidance for builders and contractors in building and renovating homes to be more resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and wildfires, etc.

Article describing airflow within buildings due to pressure differences.

Webpage from DOE describing how to conserve energy and save money with a home energy audit.

Case study describing 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.

Webpage describing how to elevate major appliances in case of a flood.

DOE case study findings on raised ceiling interior duct systems.

Searchable database of over 3,000 roofing products that have undergone solar reflectance and thermal emittance testing.

Searchable database of wall cladding and coating products that have undergone solar reflectance and thermal emittance testing.

Technical report describing the Re-Side Right initiative by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Building America research team that proposes enhancing home efficiency during the re-siding process by incorporating an insulating layer that acts as both an air barrier and water resistive barrier...

Research project aimed to verify whether homes in the New Jersey HPwES program achieved 30% source energy savings, and if so, what measures were implemented to achieve them.

This study used an advanced airflow, energy and humidity modeling tool to evaluate the potential for residential mechanical pre-scooling strategies to reduce peak electriciy demand.

Fact sheet describing best practices in installing leak-free refrigerant systems, including specifics on creating flare joints and brazed joints, pressure testing, vacuum testing, and charging the system with refrigerant.

The ENERGY STAR criteria for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers.

A user forum discussing ways to reinforce a gable overhand that was framed using the ladder method by Mike Mahan.

Website tool intended to guide home builders in assessing whether a new home has the proper physical orientation to support a future installation of a solar energy system.

Website with information and research about residential hot water distribution systems.

Report evaluating mechanical AC precooling strategies in homes as a method for improving the load factor by shifting cooling operation from on-peak to off-peak hours.

Brochure with information on residential solar hot water systems.

Brochure detailing the guidelines, recommendations, and preferences of the City of Burnsville for citizens installing solar photovoltaics.

Homepage for ENERGY STAR’s windows, skylights, and doors program providing information for consumers and links to product directories.

Webpage with guidance document detailing voluntary interim guidelines for conducting home energy ratings on multifamily residential buildings.

Resource to help builders better understand the WaterSense requirements for labeled homes and assist them in meeting the criteria so they can receive the label for their new construction.

The Retrofit Decision Tool is an online tool to help homeowners, multifamily building owners and contractors to start the conversation about which retrofits they can employ to achieve zero-carbon-alignment.

Article describing how replacing permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors with electronically commutated motors (ECM) can boost bottom line for HVAC contractors as well as improve customer comfort and satisfaction.

Manual describing methods for rodent-proofing buildings.

Webpage discussing the characteristics of sunlight and how cool roofs work to reduce solar heat gain.

Factsheet describing air-sealing.

Standard using deficiency-based and systematic procedures that use performance-based principles to evaluate and retrofit existing buildings to withstand the effects of earthquakes.

Technical study exploring the impact of different installation faults on heat pump performance in a single-family house.

Study conducted to help determine cost-effective solutions for heating and cooling houses that are designed to be energy efficient.

Website providing information about INSULSPAN structurally insulated panels.

Website providing consumers with resources to find, select and install heat pump water heaters.

Spreadsheet tool that computes solar reflectance index (SRI) and roof surface temperature based on solar reflectance and thermal emittance using ASTM standard E 1980.

Proposed HVAC filter labeling standard and underlying analysis by the California Energy Commission.

Standard document establishing construction standards for one- and two-family dwellings constructed in high wind regions.