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Air Sealing and Insulating Walls to Reduce Heat Gain

Information Guide

Information guide listing Building America Solution Center guides that describe ways to air-seal and insulate a new or existing home's walls to resist heat gain.

This hot climate zone home uses high quality batt insulation between studs to insulate this connecting garage wall.

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Right – The insulation has been located to the exterior of the thermal mass in this wall section

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The IR image on the right shows the sun is heating the southeast-facing wall of this concrete-block house to 36C (97F); this corner of the home would not be a good place for a cool room due to lack of shading and insulation

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This hot climate zone home uses high quality batt insulation to insulate truss-joist headers.

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Air Sealing, Insulating, and Venting Attics and Roofs to Reduce Heat Gain

Information Guide

Information guide providing links to guides describing specific ways to air-seal, insulate, and ventilate attics and roofs to minimize heat gain in new and existing homes.

Cool Roofs and Walls to Reduce Heat Gain

Guide

Guide providing information on how cool roofs and wall cladding surfaces work, which climates can most benefit from them, and how to find and select cool roofs and wall cladding products.

A typical Las Vegas hot-dry climate home made of wood frame construction and insulated with R-25 expanded polystyrene externally over a drainage plane, with an unvented wood frame insulated attic and roof assembly.

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Exterior Doors Are Insulated, Impact Rated, and Fire Rated

Guide

Guide describing the use of doors that are insulated and are impact rated or have protective coverings for resistance to hurricane, high winds, wildfires, and thermal losses.

High-Thermal-Mass Construction

Guide

Guide describing materials and methods for incorporating thermal mass into the construction of a home for temperature regulation, energy savings, and resistance to extreme heat and cold.

Residential Heating and Cooling Loads Component Analysis

Reference

Report describing a study using parametric computer simulations of 112 single-family and 63 multi-family residential building prototypes to quantify the contributions of building components such as roofs, walls, windows, infiltration, outside air, lighting, equipment, and people to the aggregate...

Air Sealing and Insulating Walls to Reduce Heat Gain

This hot climate zone home uses high quality batt insulation between studs to insulate this connecting garage wall.

Right – The insulation has been located to the exterior of the thermal mass in this wall section

The IR image on the right shows the sun is heating the southeast-facing wall of this concrete-block house to 36C (97F); this corner of the home would not be a good place for a cool room due to lack of shading and insulation

This hot climate zone home uses high quality batt insulation to insulate truss-joist headers.

Air Sealing, Insulating, and Venting Attics and Roofs to Reduce Heat Gain

Cool Roofs and Walls to Reduce Heat Gain

A typical Las Vegas hot-dry climate home made of wood frame construction and insulated with R-25 expanded polystyrene externally over a drainage plane, with an unvented wood frame insulated attic and roof assembly.

Exterior Doors Are Insulated, Impact Rated, and Fire Rated

High-Thermal-Mass Construction

Residential Heating and Cooling Loads Component Analysis

Design for Extreme Heat

Creating a Cool Room for Extreme Heat Events

Extreme Heat Overview

Emergency Air Conditioning and Food Refrigeration

Shading and Solar Control for Windows and Skylights

Low-E Exterior Storm Windows