Library

Fact sheet describing protocols for detecting, addressing, and preventing water leaks in homes, covering pressure-loss testing, visual inspections, and specific leak tests for fixtures and appliances.

Fact sheet describing four different efficient hot water delivery (HWD) systems, the trunk-and branch, core, whole-house manifold, and recirculation, with emphasis on system schematics, piping materials, and regulations to design and verify the systems.

Fact sheet describing water-efficient landscaping through informed landscape design and plant selection, outlining considerations for climate, soil, and maintenance, as well as emphasizing the benefits of native and drought-tolerant plants.

Fact sheet describing how to effectively build, implement, and verify leak detection and flow monitoring systems, detailing appropriate devices, installation procedures, and verification protocols.

Fact sheet describing the significance of managing service water pressure within recommended ranges through the installation of pressure-regulating valves (PRVs).

This fact sheet describes the requirements for WaterSense labeled showerheads in, highlighting their water-saving capabilities, adherence to flow rate criteria, independent performance certification, and how they're built, verified and in alignment with the conservation and water management goals of...

This fact sheet outlines the mandatory inclusion of WaterSense labeled toilets in homes, highlighting their water-efficient features, certified performance, and leak prevention; The sheet describes the requirements for these features, steps to build, and steps to verify a labeled toilet to insure...

Fact sheet describing the implementation of water metering and submetering measures in residential properties, particularly multifamily buildings, to enhance water efficiency, usage tracking, and compliance with relevant regulations; It outlines how to build and verify water meters and submeters to...

Fact sheet describing the importance and regulation of EPA WaterSense water softeners including the function of cation exchange water softeners, the importance of salt efficiency, the negative impact of hard water on household appliances, softeners that use demand-initiated regeneration with...

Brochure providing information for homeowners, builders, verifiers, and facilities including an overview of program criteria, the certification process, and EPA-approved home certification organizations for water-efficient homes under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense...

Website providing a description of the WaterSense labeled homes program and a checklist of mandatory requirements for homes to be labeled under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program, Version 2.0.

Resource that provides a checklist of program criteria for water-efficient new homes under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program.

Guide designed to help builders better understand and meet the hot water delivery system criteria as specified in EPA's WaterSense New Home Specification.

Resource that provides guidance when choosing products that meet WaterSense program requirements.

Webpage describing specification requirements including checklist that establishes the criteria for water-efficient homes under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program.

Document on the EPA WaterSense webpage describing the technical evaluation process used by EPA WaterSense to authorize home certification organizations to certify homes through the WaterSense program.

Webpage from NW Natural on how to prepare homes with natural gas service for earthquakes and floods, what to do during an emergency, and how to respond after the emergency has passed.

Article describing the process of adding weatherstripping to and weatherizing old doors.

Web page providing statistics on weather related fatalities and injuries.

An overview of impacts from weather, climate, and water extremes globally from 1970 to 2019 based on disaster data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT)

Webpage describing weatherstrip tips and tricks to properly air seal doors.

Article describing how to weatherproof dormers using peel-and-stick membranes when flashing a dormer.

Article describing an overview of weatherstripping requirements.

An article written by Don Jackson of The Journal of Light Construction on how to detail brick veneer siding wall.

Web-based manual providing guidance for removal and preventing entry of nuisance wildlife.

Manual showing how to properly use grass swales to manage excess water runoff.

Webpage describing how to flashing installation

Report describing sloped roof assemblies with high levels of thermal performance.

Technical bulletin describing wet floodproofing requirements for buildings located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs).

Report providing design guidance for wood-framed residential construction in high wind areas where design wind velocity requirements do not exceed 140 miles per hour.

An informational guide established to educate the public on seismic shut-off valves and how to avoid fires following an earthquake.

A website explaining the connection between using compact fluorescent lightbulbs and the amount of mercury released into the environment.

Document describing what levees are, how they work, and who owns them.

Infographic explaining what a seismic shut-off valve is and providing frequently asked questions.

An article describing a way to protect drain and ventilation holes in brick veneer siding against pests. Selecting a fine screen mesh opening (1/55-inch or 0.5-mm) is important to guard against small insects such as subterranean termites.

EPA coronavirus Q&A discussing the role of HVAC filters in dealing with COVID-19.

Information sheet outlining the criteria for ENERGY STAR qualified, windows, doors, and skylights.

Guidelines from IBHS on modifications to homes to prepare for a wildfire if evacuation orders are anticipated for the area.

Report describing the best practices that were observed during installations of electric vehicle chargers for residential homes.

Article discussing the risks that can occur from undercutting bedroom doors to provide return airflow from bedrooms, as well as corrective measures that can be taken to address these risks.

Webpage describing how different amounts and types of snow loads affect the structural integrity of roofs and homes.

A heat map showing the average number of tornadoes per year across the United States

Webpage describing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and how to plan residential building to mitigate wildfire risks associated with building in the WUI.

Wepage providing information on ENERGY STAR certified gas tankless water heaters with information on how they cut water heating expenses as well as a product finder tool to find ENERGY STAR certified products.

Brochure about how to install and use a whole-house fan.

Technical fact sheet describing proper operation, sizing, and installation of whole-house fans.

Report summarizing results from a case study about whole-house mechanical ventilation systems in Chicago.

Article about one way to deal with the cold-water surprise effect of tankless water heaters.

Web article describing the defining characteristics of the CW and AW window performance classes.

Article explaining the importance of expansion tank knowledge.