Library

YouTube channel featuring 90+ videos to educate Bay Area homeowners and contractors about seismic retrofitting, including information for various home and construction types.

A webpage outlining recommendations for creating defensible space.

Article describing how to choose the right portable electric generator for a home and how to safely operate when power outages happen.

Article from California Earthquake Authority on the benefits of retrofitting homes to withstand earthquake forces, with a focus on foundations, walls, and chimneys.

Guide informing builders and developers about efficient building practice for constructing homes with structural insulated panels.

An article discussing how different metal roof materials and attachment methods affect the ability of the roof to thermally expand and contract and the durability of different solutions.

The EPA Burn Wise program promotes the importance of burning the right wood in the right way from the right sources with mission to protect human health and the environment.

Webpage containing California Energy Commission's HVAC design information, including mandatory and prescriptive HVAC requirements for residential and nonresidential buildings following the California Energy Commission's Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

Carpet and Rug Institute website homepage.

Website describing the CRI Green Label Plus low-VOC carpet labeling program.

Online tool for thermal comfort calculations and visualizations SoftwareX 12, 100563 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2020.100563

ENRGY STAR webpage discussing the basics of certified ceiling fans.

Website that describes two ceiling fan types and their respective ENERGY STAR eligible product types.

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the EPA evaluates potential risks from new and existing chemicals and acts to address any unreasonable risks chemicals may have on human health and the environment. This website explains the implications of such chemicals.

ENERGY STAR criteria that requires clothes dryers meet this set of efficiency and cycle time requirements using eligibility and energy performance metrics.

ENERGY STAR clothes washers key product criteria eligibility and energy performance metrics.

Report describing combined space- and water-heating (combi) systems using a high-efficiency direct-vent burner.

Fact sheet that details the steps needed to perform a combustion appliance safety inspection to determine if fossil fuel-fired appliances are operating safely under a depressurized condition.

Report describing how space-conditioning systems are operating in the field and if these systems are meeting required standards.

Report outlining the steps developers can take to create high-performance standards on a community-wide scale.

Report on heating and cooling air-distribution ducts that are insulated, installed close to the ceiling in a vented attic and covered with attic insulation to minimize energy loss.

Report covering insulating crawlspaces.

Report telling consumers how radon gets into a home and how to reduce radon entry into a home.

Document describing the methodology and results from 2009 to 2019 of the National Association of Home Builders' Construction Cost survey, which collects information from builders on the various components that go into the sales price of a typical single-family home.

Article discussing whether or not to seal and insulate crawlspaces.

Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the different landscaping strategies near homes to lower the risk of a home's ignition from wildfire.

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.

A presentation describing the details of the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction program requirements.

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.

Guide informing architects and engineers about designing buildings to be constructed with structural insulated panels.

Report detailing the value of a smart range hood (SRH) that was developed as part of a project aimed at addressing indoor air quality (IAQ) health risks by targeting key pollutants in residential kitchens, with a focus on being consumer-friendly, quiet, effective, and efficient, meeting established...

Website helping communities address coastal issues with data, tools, and training resources.

A guide on the use of rain barrels for greater water efficiency and use in gardens and lawns.

A website by the U.S. DOE highlighting the potential energy savings from upgrading energy inefficient windows with low-emissivity.

Website providing information on U.S. residential and commercial building codes including adoption status.

A PDF containing the SERC Solar PV System Field-Inspection Checklist.

PDF file explaining the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home National Requirements (Rev. 04).

Homepage for DOE's Zero Energy Ready Homes program.

Fact sheet describing drip irrigation for landscaping.

Website for finding policies and incentives by state for renewables and efficiency.

Factsheet describing how to secure refrigerators and other major appliances to wall studs using earthquake appliance straps or angle brackets and bolts.

Factsheet describing how to secure televisions, microwaves, computers, and other electronics to prevent damage during earthquakes.

Factsheet describing how to secure water heaters to resist seismic activity.

Factsheet describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more earthquake resistant.

Guide provides homeowners ways to prepare for an earthquake and protect a home against earthquake damage.

A one-page fact sheet outlining the purpose of an earthquake valve and how the valve can stop gas from flowing into a residence or building.

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.

Website describing what to do for safety in an earthquake and other types of disasters.

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