Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report on adding insulation to load-bearing mass masonry buildings.
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.
Showing results 201 - 250 of 2340
Organization(s)
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
Report outlining workflow and results of regression models on monthly and daily utility data (meter readings of electricity consumption), outlining a process for screening and gathering useful results from inverse models.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report analyzing design heating load sizing methods for superinsulated homes in cold climates and comparing them to the actual energy usage to determine if the building load calculation methodology should be changed for calculating the design heating load of these homes.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Factsheet for home and business owners describing ways to anchor fuel tanks to avoid displacement in floods.
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Description
Safety brochure from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) describing the dangers to children of furniture tipping over if it is not securely anchored.
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Description
Website providing consumers with information about the risk to children from appliances and furniture tipping over and ways to anchor furniture and appliances to prevent this hazard.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Short guide from FEMA describing how to anchor tall bookcases and file cabinets during seismic events.
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
Website homepage of APA – The Engineered Wood Association, a nonprofit trade association combining the research efforts of scientists and engineers, APA promotes new solutions and improved processes that benefit the entire industry.
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
Wall bracing calculator simplifying the design of residential structures that comply with 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 or 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) wall bracing requirements.
Application of Spray Foam Insulation Under Plywood and Oriented Strand Board Roof Sheathing, BA-1312
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering moisture and leakage issues associated with spray foam insulation application to the underside of roof sheathing.
Organization(s)
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Florida HERO,
Office of Scientific and Technical Information,
OSTI,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report describing partner approaches to achieving the Building America goal of 30% whole-house source energy savings using packages adopted at the community scale, using building projects in Florida as a reference.
Organization(s)
City of Albuquerque,
CABQ
Publication Date
Description
Power Point PDF presentation on historical architecture in New Mexico
Organization(s)
University of Central Florida,
UCF,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
FSEC article looking into the percieved effectiveness of ceiling fans.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
University of Central Florida,
UCF
Publication Date
Description
Report describing a field investigation of failure rates of whole-house mechanical ventilation systems installed in Florida homes.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining how to develop, practice, and maintain emergency plans that reflect what must be done before, during, and after a disaster to protect people and their property.
Organization(s)
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
Description
Document highlighting federal accessibility laws which may apply to a housing development, and common mistakes made in the field which, if avoided, will help to ensure compliance.
Organization(s)
NIH,
OSHA,
EPA,
HUD
Publication Date
Description
Guidance from HUD, EPA, NIH, and FEMA for workers who deal directly with asbestos.
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Publication Date
Description
Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Description
Web-based mapping tool offering a fast, reliable way to look up key design parameters specified in Standard ASCE 7-10, 7-16, or 7-22 for a specific address or location which is free to use and can look up data for eight different environmental hazard types: wind, tornado, seismic, ice, rain, flood...
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
Description
Report describing methodology to assess and improve the accuracy of whole building energy analysis for residential buildings.
Organization(s)
University of Minnesota,
UMN,
NothernSTAR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
Description
Report focused on foundation insulation R-values for cold climates and the design, construction, and performance implications.
Organization(s)
Building Energy Efficient Homes for America,
BEEHA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report describing methodology, analysis, and findings from a case study of a 110-unit retrofit of gas tankless water heaters in a hot/humid climate in Alachua County, Florida.
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating,
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Description
A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
The exhaust from residential combustion appliances contains air pollutants and high levels of moisture that must be conveyed to the outdoors to maintain acceptable indoor quality.
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report assessing the accuracy of HEST as it was being developed and to provide information useful to DOE program managers and HEST development team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Website providing a compilation of guidance, case studies, tools, and training to assist local communities as they are in the midst of managing recovery post-disaster.
Organization(s)
ABAG
Publication Date
Description
A basic guide walking through the various types of valves useful in mitigating the effects of earthquakes and other seismic events on natural gas pipelines for residential use.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing recommended practices for installing brick veneer that will enhance wind resistance in high wind regions and examples of proper installations and brick veneer tie spacings; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”
Organization(s)
AERC
Publication Date
Description
Website developed by the Attachments Energy Rating Council to provide consumers with credible, relevant, and comparable information about window attachments and their performance.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Document providing background and approach for the prep work necessary prior to adding attic insulation - focusing on combustion safety, ventilation for indoor air quality, and attic ventilation for durability.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.
Organization(s)
Office of Scientific and Technical Information,
OSTI,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
This report outlines research activities that are expected to facilitate the adoption of energy retrofits by remodeling contractors and roofing contractors using retrofit panels which applicable to many existing house designs in most climates and markets.
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Description
Web page describing the benefits of attic fans, with rules for sizing fans and intake vents.
Organization(s)
Energy Texas
Publication Date
Description
Blog article discussing pros and cons of attic ventilation fans.
Organization(s)
CMHC,
Government of Canada
Publication Date
Description
Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.
Organization(s)
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
NEEA
Publication Date
Description
Webpage describing how to improve a variable capacity heat pump's efficiency by not programming a deep setback on the thermostat.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing how to prepare for hurricane season and mitigate damage from floods and high winds.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering interior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.
Organization(s)
National Association for State Community Services Programs,
NASCSP,
Weatherization Training Center at Penn College,
Pennsylvania College of Technology,
PCT
Publication Date
Description
Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the building science implications of insulating vented or unvented attics.
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the research into insulating vented versus unvented attics.
Organization(s)
SPFA
Publication Date
Description
SPFA website signup page to access SPFA documents.
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Publication Date
Description
Article describing different kinds of water-resistant backer boards.
Organization(s)
Suntegrity Solar
Publication Date
Description
Webpage from Suntegrity Solar describing different backup power generator options to prepare for future power outages.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report describing approaches to insulating basements in homes built to meet Energy Star levels of performance of heat loss reduction.
Organization(s)
SEI,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Publication dates are shown for formal documents. Dates are not shown for non-dated media. Access dates for referenced, non-dated media, such as web sites, are shown in the measure guide text.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet describing techniques for insulating basements.
Organization(s)
CER
Publication Date
Description
Website providing comparison charts and reviews of battery energy storage systems for solar power systems.