BASC Search | Building America Solution Center

Spray foam insulates and air seals the underside of the attic roof and walls.

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Right – Spray foam air seals and insulates the walls including the walls behind the fireplace and covers the underside of the roof deck of this mixed-dry climate home to provide an insulated attic space for HVAC ducts.

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Right - Insulating sleeve for small through-the-wall HRV unit with sealing gasket; 3 of 14.

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If HVAC duct must be installed in an exterior wall, separate it from the exterior with at least R-6 of continuous rigid insulation

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Wrong: open wall cavity connected to this return air plenum is allowing cellulose attic insulation to be pulled into the furnace

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HVAC ducts, cavities used as ducts, and combustion inlets and outlets may pass perpendicularly through exterior walls but shall not be run within exterior walls unless at least R-6 continuous insulation is provided on exterior side of the cavity

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The mechanical room in the insulated basement houses the water heating equipment, including the storage tank for the solar thermal system and the wall-hung boiler as well as the air handler for the hydro coil and high-efficiency (16 SEER) air conditioner.

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Right - The precast insulated concrete walls of the basement provide a conditioned space for the high-efficiency (18 SEER, 9.5 HSPF) air-source heat pump, with its variable-speed fan, five-stage compressor, and MERV 11 filter.

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No insulation installed in cavity and not air sealed

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Sealed and Insulated Flex Ducts

Guide

Guide describing how to air seal and insulate flex ducts.

Exterior Insulation Implications on Heating and Cooling in Cold Climates

Reference

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings.

HVAC Ducts Shall Not Be Run within Exterior Walls

Guide

Guide describing the use of building cavities as supply or return ducts.

Inadequate amount of insulation installed with compression, misalignment, and voids

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The Performance Check Between Whole Building Thermal Performance Criteria and Exterior Wall Measured Clear Wall R-Value, Thermal Bridging, thermal mass and airtightness

Reference

Paper that illustrates a performance check between the thermal performance of a Massive Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall system mocked up and Whole Building Performance criteria such as total space heating and cooling loads (thermal comfort).

Sealed and Insulated Fiber Board Ducts

Guide

Guide describing how to air seal and insulate fiber board ducts.

Case Study: Rural Development, Inc., Wisdom Way Solar Village, Greenfield, MA

Case Study

Case study describing a 20-unit community of energy-efficient duplexes in Massachusetts incorporating solar water heating and photovoltaics.

Building Science Introduction - Heat Flow

Information Guide

Information guide describing the concept of heat flow in residential buildings.

Home Performance Assessment

Information Guide

Information guide describing how to apply a whole-house approach to home improvement with energy efficiency upgrades, improved indoor air quality, and increased comfort.

Advances in Manufactured Home Energy Efficient Design

Presentation

Webinar explaining advances in energy efficient design for manufactured homes.

The New American Home 2004 Las Vegas, Nevada

Case Study

Case study describing whole house building techniques in the hot-dry climate.

Ducts in Dropped Ceilings

Guide

Guide describing method for installing ducts in a duct chase in a dropped ceiling.

Existing Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Deep Energy Retrofit in the Pacific Northwest

Case Study

Case study describing a whole-house, deep energy retrofit project in the marine climate.

Ducts in Interstitial Floor Framing

Guide

Guide for designing and installing interior ducts in an interstitial floor cavity in new and existing homes.

No Ducts or Air Handlers Located in Garage

Guide

Guide describing how to design HVAC systems to be located within the conditioned space of the home, either in a utility closet or in an attic, basement, or crawl space.

Fort Devens: Cold Climate, Energy-Efficient, Market-Rate Townhomes

Reference

Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

Ducts in Raised Ceiling Sections

Guide

Guide describing method for designing and installing ducts in a raised ceiling chase.

DOE ZERH 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes Winter Park, Florida [2-page summary version]

Case Study

Case study describing the first certified DOE Zero Energy Ready Home—the “Wilson Residence” in Winter Park, Florida.

Building America Case Study Technology Solutions for Existing Homes: Concord Four Square Retrofit

Case Study

Case study describing a four-square Concord home retrofitted by Building Science Corporation in Massachusetts.

DOE ZERH HIA 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes, Winter Park, Florida

Case Study

Case study describing a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home 2013 Housing Innovation Award Winner in Winter Park FL that scored HERS 57 without PV or HERS -7 with PV.

Building America Case Study Technology Solutions for Existing Homes: Bedford Farmhouse High Performance Retrofit Prototype

Case Study

Case study describing project conducted by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell (HfHGL) and Building Science Corporation (BSC).