BASC Search | Building America Solution Center

Measure Guideline: Wood Window Repair, Rehabilitation, and Replacement

Reference

Document providing information and guidance about rehabilitating, retrofitting, and replacing wood window assemblies in residential construction.

Technology Fact Sheet: Weather-Resistive Barriers

Reference

Brochure with information about how to select and install house wrap and other weather-resistive barriers.

Heat Pump Retrofit Strategies for Multifamily Buildings

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Report describing the various heat pump retrofit options for multifamily buildings in the U.S., segmented by building typology and heating system, to support better environmental, economic, and health outcomes.

Hygric Redistribution in Insulated Assemblies: Retrofitting Residential Envelopes Without Creating Moisture Issues

Reference

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.

National Residential Efficiency Measures Database Aimed at Reducing Risk for Residential Retrofit Industry

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Information sheet about the National Residential Efficiency Measures Database, a public database that characterizes the performance and costs of common residential energy efficiency measures.

Measure Guideline: Internal Insulation of Masonry Walls

Reference

Report summarizing the importance of properly insulating and air sealing masonry walls, providing step by step instructions and approaches.

BSC Information - Vapor Permeance of Some Building Materials of Some Building Materials, Sheet 312

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Information sheet providing details on the vapor permeance of different types of materials used in building assemblies.

Long-Term Monitoring of Mini-Split Ductless Heat Pumps in the Northeast

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Report on the long-term performance of mini-split heat pumps.

Energy and IAQ Implications of Residential Ventilation Cooling

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This study evaluates the energy, humidity and indoor air quality implications of residential ventilation cooling in all US IECC climate zones.

Challenges and Opportunities for Transactive Control of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment: A Reference Guide

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Case study about the grid integration of electrical vehicle supply equipment.

Which Spray Foam is Right For You?

Reference

Document describing different spray foam materials including some pros and cons and technical specifications.

Residential Mechanical Precooling

Reference

Report evaluating mechanical AC precooling strategies in homes as a method for improving the load factor by shifting cooling operation from on-peak to off-peak hours.

Comparing Motor Technologies

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Article in the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration NEWS newsletter describing PSC, ECM, and ECM replacement motors for HVAC equipment.

Community-Wide Zero Energy Ready Home Standard

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Report outlining the steps developers can take to create high-performance standards on a community-wide scale.

A Business Case for Home Performance Contracting

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Report discussing opportunities and trends in the U.S. home performance contracting industry, along with market drivers such as consumer demand; federal, state, and local programs; and utility and non-governmental programs.

How Energy Efficient are Modern Dishwashers?

Reference

Report about measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers.

Measure Guideline: Transitioning to a Tankless Water Heater

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Document developed to help residential builders and retrofitters transition from tank-type water heaters to tankless water heaters.

Solar Water Heaters

Reference

Website describing how solar water heaters -- also called solar domestic hot water systems -- can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home.

Very Low Energy Homes in the United States: Perspectives on Performance from Measured Data

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Document describing the measured annual performance data from 12 recent-vintage very low energy homes in the US.

Healthy and Affordable Housing: Practical Recommendations for Building, Renovating and Maintaining Housing

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Document providing guidance about building healthy homes using building science principles.

Expert Meeting Report: Key Innovations for Adding Energy Efficiency to Maintenance Projects

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Expert meeting describing meeting details for key innovations for adding energy efficiency upgrades to maintenance projects.

Evaluation of Boulder, CO, SmartRegs Ordinance and Better Buildings Programs

Reference

Report summarizing CARB's analysis of Boulder, Colorado's SmartRegs ordinance in the existing home market.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes

Case Study

Case study describing ventilation selection for existing homes.

Evaluation of the Effective Moisture Penetration Depth Model for Estimating Moisture Buffering in Buildings

Reference

Research study examining the effective moisture penetration depth (EMPD) model and its suitability for building simulations.

2011 EnergyValue Housing Award Report

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Report assessing the energy performance of the 2011 EVHA winners and to align the EVHA program with the BA program.

Hot Water Distribution System Model Enhancements

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Report on a project that enhanced the HWSIM distribution system model to more accurately model pipe heat transfer.

Excavationless Exterior Foundation Insulation Exploratory Study

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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.

Heat Pump Water Heating Modeling in EnergyPlus - Building America Residential Energy Efficiency Stakeholder Meeting

Reference

Presentation about heat pump water heater modeling using EnergyPlus.

Retrofitting America: A 1970s Home Energy Efficiency Analysis

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Report about a tool developed to enable users to compare a typical 1970s ranch home against an IECC 2009 code-compliant home of the same configuration and against the 70s base case plus retrofits.

READ THIS: Before You Move In, GM-0606

Reference

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.