Library

Fact sheet describing conditions for wildfire, how a home catches fire, how to create a survivable space, the ideal fire resistant home.

Report covering the reconstruction of flood damaged homes.

Report providing recommended designs and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

Information about recycling CFL lightbulbs.

A website explaining the benefits of recycling compact fluorescent lightbulbs and how the process can prevent the release of mercury into the environment.

Report describing the REDi™ Rating System, which is a framework for implementing “resilience-based earthquake design,” a holistic “beyond-code” design, planning and assessment approach for achieving earthquake resilience.

Website describing wildfire related research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety at the IBHS Research Center.

Webpage explaining how to mitigate heat loss through roofs for ice dam prevention.

Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.

Report from FEMA on how to reduce damage from localized flooding including planning, drainage, building codes and retrofits, and regulations.

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.

Report describing methods for reducing the cost of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Guide discussing ways that homeowners in ground-secured houses can reduce the risks and damage caused by floods upon residential buildings.

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.

A report presenting alternative approaches for reducing the costs of roof-mounted, grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Field manual describing measures to reduce potential hazards and damages caused by and to nonstructural components of a building such as HVAC, appliances, lighting, windows, and furniture during an earthquake.

Report including an overview of the buried duct research and information the retrofit methodology used to install and test the three existing duct systems, including short- and long-term data collection.

An EPA guide describing the causes and impacts of summertime urban heat islands, promoting strategies for lowering temperatures in U.S. communities.

Guidance document describing urban heat islands, what they are, how they form, why we care, and including some strategies to reduce them.

Free Online Training in Reducing Wildfire Risks to People and Property for Home and Business Owners.

Article describing moisture and ice dam issues in attics and how to air seal the attic floor.

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.

Information sheet describing refrigerant line installation and system startup procedures.

Webpage by the Department of Energy describing how to adjust refrigerator temperature settings to store food and drinks safely, keep food from spoiling, prevent illness from the growth of bacteria, and reduce food waste.

When it comes to protecting yourself and your family from foodborne illness, one of your most effective tools is the kitchen refrigerator.

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

Guide providing information for professional builders and contractors rehabbing flooded single-family houses with emphasis on safe practices and the most important activities in the rehab process.

Fact sheet describing an alternative to piles in V Zones and A Zones in coastal areas where soil properties preclude pile installation, but the need for an “open foundation system” still exists and recommendations for good masonry practices in coastal environments; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home...

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

Website describing the RELi rating system and leadership standard that takes a holistic approach to resilient design.

Remodeling Magazine website.

Data tables on U.S. renewable energy consumption and general trends in the market for renewable energy.

The RERH specifications and checklists take a builder and a project design team through the steps of assessing a home’s solar resource potential and defining the minimum structural and system components needed to support a solar energy system.

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.

Webpage from FEMA describing how to properly reconstruct masonry fireplace chimneys damages by earthquakes.

Fact sheet describing NFIP requirements for repairs, remodeling, and additions, and discussing opportunities for retrofitting in coastal flood hazard areas with recommendations for exceeding the minimum NFIP requirements; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction...

Fact sheet describing requirements and opportunities for retrofitting, and making “best practice” recommendations for repairs, remodeling, and additions in coastal high wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Report researching cost- effective solution packages for significant energy efficiency and indoor air quality improvements masonry multifamily urban buildings.

Table in the IRC describing bracing requirements for specified wind speeds and building story locations.

Technical bulletin describing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements for flood openings in foundation walls and walls of enclosures below elevated buildings.

Technical report describing the research and development of the Ventilation-Integrated Comfort System (VICS) which is a specifically designed, energy-efficient solution that seamlessly integrates with low-capacity, ducted heating, and cooling systems, offering controllable, balanced energy recovery...

Webpage containing downloadable fact sheets covering carpet-related topics including Indoor Air Quality, Asthma and Allergy, Cleaning Products, and Environmental Sustainability.

Document presenting results from testing prototype HVAC duct system designs that would locate the entire length of duct work within the air and thermal barriers of the building envelope. These include one that incorporated a high-side supply register, one that utilized a single soffit located within...

Report providing information on mechanical air-cleaning devices for ventilation when conventional methods are not warranted.

Document containing some of the basic characteristics for energy performance, durability, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality that should be met in all high performance homes.

Website describing the U.S. Department of Energy's residential buildings program.

Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2001 and revised in...

Standard covering provisions for electrically operated single- and multiple-station carbon monoxide (CO) alarming devices used in various types of residential occupancies to protect against acute effects of exposure to CO. This version of the standard, originally published in 2017 and revised in...

Report describing information from DOE about rules and standards for residential air conditioners and heat pumps.

Webpage describing a DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge. The challenge engages industry partners and focuses around the Cold Climate Heat Pumps, a more environmental and efficient heating alternative to traditional heating.