Guide describing how to insulate the sill beam or sill plate on the exterior side in a way that allows drying to the exterior, as part of an exterior wall upgrade.
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.
Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.
Guide describing how to provide a continuous water control layer across the roof assembly by sealing all penetrations for pipes, vents, etc. in existing roofs.
Guide describing how to install flashing that is integrated with air and water control layers around piping, vents, and other wall penetrations as part of an exterior wall retrofit.
Guide describing the installation of insulating sheathing above the roof deck on existing homes. This retrofit assembly is appropriate for homes with conditioned attics or where the retrofit is intended to create a conditioned attic.
Report about the fundamental concepts that must be understood at the planning or initial nspection of existing homes regarding surface and ground water management.
Document describing correct construction of swales, designed to trap particulate pollutants (suspended solids and trace metals), promote infiltration, and reduce the flow velocity of storm water runoff.
Report providing information to researchers, utility program managers, and building owners interested in controlling heating energy waste and improving resident comfort.
Guide describing how to design a water-efficient landscape that will minimize the need for supplemental water by using the WaterSense® Water Budget Tool.
Guide describing the installation of a tankless hot water heater to provide domestic hot water that is heated on demand without the standby losses associated with tank storage water heaters.
This presentation will help you define insulated siding, understand R-value testing of insulated siding, describe proper installation of insulated siding, comply with energy codes and understand building energy performance program and software recognition.
Case study describing a 2013 DOE Building America Top Innovation for the installation of rigid foam insulation on the exterior of home roofs and walls as a thermal, air, and moisture barrier.
Resource that can be used to determine peak watering month and the appropriate evapotranspiration and rainfall values for a specific United States zip code.
Resource that can be used to comply with section 4.1.1 of Version 1.2 of the WaterSense New Home Specification or to ensure a measure of efficiency and regional suitability for the amount of water applied to a landscape based on local climate data.
Information sheet designed for the residential construction and remodeling industries, as well as owners and managers working in affordable housing. This sheet presents building guidance for both new construction and rehabilitation, as well as practices that can be used by property maintenance...
Resource that provides a directory of individuals that have sucessfully completed all requirements of at least one WaterSense labeled professional certification program.
Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.
Research study searching for combinations of existing technologies that could enable a minimally invasive, cost-competitive, easily deployable method of upgrading soil-side foundation insulation in existing buildings.
Report exploring four questions to determine the level of risk associated with adding drained exterior insulation to the exterior of an existing home during an energy retrofit.
Presentation describing the challenges of insulating an existing basement, presented to the Building America residential energy-efficiency stakeholder meeting.
Document covering basic moisture control principles in the design of above-grade building enclosures; driving rain as a moisture load on walls; a classification system of the various rain control strategies available for walls; and good design practises for walls.
Report describing steps homeowners can take to improve the indoor air quality in their home, including ventilating, preventing pests, and reducing pollutants in the home.
Report using relative humidity and temperature data from NOAA to measure average equilibrium moisture content for each month of the year in 262 locations in the United States and 122 locations outside the United States.
Document describing a hygrothermal modeling study, including all of the US climate zones, a range of interior humidity levels and numerous arrangements and types of insulation.