Library
This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.
Standards for requirements, performance, construction, workmanship and others for structural-use panels.
Information sheet with the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.
Document outlining a well-detailed drainage plane and flashings.
Document providing guidance on water management concepts and applications.
Report summarizing current research, summarizes issues that have been experienced with current best practices, and recommends ways in which the best practices can be improved for water managing sheathings.
Guide describing details that serve as a visual reference for each of the line items in the Water Management System Builder Checklist.
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.
Resource that establishes the 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.
Report describing practices and considerationsfor more efficient water use in pools, spas, and fountains.
Information sheet explaining how weatherstripping can be an easy and cost-effective way to save money on energy costs and improve comfort by reducing drafts.
Report evaluating performance/efficiency of central heat pump water heaters and quality assurance/quality control processes in system startup, operation and efficiency program participation.
Report assessing the performance and cost-effectiveness of a zero net energy community project in Davis, CA.
Information sheet outlining the criteria for ENERGY STAR qualified, windows, doors, and skylights.
Factsheet describing the importance of system charging, superheat and subcooling.
Information sheet discussing the differences between homeowner energy consumption trends in highly efficient homes.
This article addresses the issue of undercutting bedroom doors to provide return airflow from bedrooms resulting in risks such as insufficient airflow, pressure imbalance, energy-inefficient loss of conditioned air, condensation within the wall, and moisture durability issues.
Information sheet about insulation materials.
Report summarizing results from a case study about whole-house mechanical ventilation systems in Chicago.
Report describing work conducted by the Building Science Corporation (BSC) Building America Research Teams Energy Efficient Housing Research Partnerships project.
Article about one way to deal with the cold-water surprise effect of tankless water heaters.
Document about proper HVAC system sizing.
Report outlining the features of a test house built in Silver Spring , Maryland, and discussing the implementation of the energy efficient design, and reports on the short-term testing results.
Research study dcribing an evaluation of selected windows undertaken by IRC researchers at Ottawa’s Laurier House (now being used as a museum) to determine their effectiveness in controlling condensation.
Report describing the design and construction of a highly energy efficient community of ten duplexes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Document providing information and guidance about rehabilitating, retrofitting, and replacing wood window assemblies in residential construction.
Research study describing demonstration homes that provided a wealth of information for the building community in terms of the science, effort, and cost of increasing the energy efficiency of our nations housing stock.
Report detailing retrofit of two existing houses in the Wyandotte Neighborhood program.
Report and case study describing a retrofit project in the cold climate.