Showing results 1101 - 1200 of 1207
Description
Information guide describing how to apply a whole-house approach to home improvement with energy efficiency upgrades, improved indoor air quality, and increased comfort.
Description
Guide describing how to frame and insulate exterior-to-interior wall intersections to reduce heat losses and gains though structural framing.
Description
Many home have inadequate insulation and excessive holes, cracks, and missing air barriers resulting in unwanted heat loss in cold weather, heat gain in hot weather, and infiltration of moisture, dust, pollen, and pests year-round. Air sealing leaks and adding insulation between the attic and the home is one of the most cost-effective measures to improve your home’s energy performance. However, critical installation best practices need to be followed to ensure a successful project. Use this checklist to get the significant energy savings, enhanced comfort, and health benefits possible with quality installed attic air sealing and insulation.
Description
Many home basements do not have adequate wall insulation resulting in excessive heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer along with seasonally cold surface temperatures that can compromise comfort and moisture control. Adding basement insulation can significantly address these home performance challenges. However, critical installation best practices need to be followed to ensure a successful project. Use this checklist to get the significant energy savings, enhanced comfort, and durability benefits possible with quality installed basement wall insulation.
Description
Many homes have vented attics that get very hot in summer and cold in winter. Converting an attic from vented to an unvented provides an opportunity to create a temperate space for heating and cooling equipment located there to operate more efficiently while also reducing infiltration of moisture, dust, pollen and pests year-round. However, critical installation best practices need to be followed to ensure a successful project. Use this checklist to get the significant energy savings, enhanced comfort, and health benefits possible from a quality installed unvented attic.
Description
Guide describing blown insulation into exterior wall cavities of existing homes with minimal disruption to occupants.
Description
Guide describing the retrofit of kitchen exhaust systems, including duct sizing and routing considerations.
Description
Where homes have crawl spaces, they are commonly unvented allowing excessive heat in summer, cold in winter, and humidity year-round. Converting a crawl space from vented to unvented provides an opportunity to create a temperate space for heating and cooling equipment located there to operate more efficiently while also reducing the infiltration of moisture, dust, pollen, pests, and soil gases year-round. However, critical installation best practices need to be followed to ensure a successful project. Use this checklist to get the significant energy savings, enhanced comfort, and health benefits possible from a quality installed unvented crawl space.
Description
Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.
Description
Information guide describing constructed flood protection measures to minimize damage and increase structural resilience during a flood.
Description
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.
Description
Guide describing how to select the siding materials best suited to withstand hazards the home is likely to face within its lifetime.
Description
Guide describing Installing blanket fiberglass insulation on the interior walls of a conditioned, unfinished basement as an alternative to best practice solutions.
Description
Guide describing ways to strengthen roof assemblies for resistance to hurricanes, high winds, and earthquakes.
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-specific information about insulated headers to help ensure that the measure will be accepted as being in compliance with the code.
Description
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.
Description
Guide describing how to install an exhaust fan in an attached garage to pull fumes out of the garage and to depressurize the garage with reference to the home.
Description
Guide outlining how to retrofit an exterior wall and/or attic to provide continuous air sealing.
Description
This guide describes procedures for assessing feasibility of solar resources, and designating location of propolsed PV arrays and solar thermal panels.
Description
Information guide providing background information about heat flow in residential buildings.
Description
An information guide describing design considerations for improving occupant safety and minimizing windstorm property damage in new homes in high-wind and hurricane-prone areas.
Description
Guide describing refrigerant-based compression-cooling air conditioning systems for space cooling.
Description
Information guide describing things to consider before attempting retrofits that may include hazardous materials.
Description
Information guide providing background information about moisture flow in residential buildings.
Description
Guide describing how to effectively create defensible space between a residence and potential wildfire fuels in high-risk fire hazard areas.
Description
This measure guide describes the need to leave space for a solar hot water tank in the home’s utility room.
Description
Guide describing how to correctly air-seal a wall with missing top plates or open wall cavities.
Description
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.
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-related information about insulated interior/exterior wall intersections to help ensure that the feature will be accepted as being in compliance with the code.
Overview
This brief provides an overview of the 2009 through 2015 IRC/IECC code requirements related to air sealing and insulating attached garage walls.
Description
Installed correctly, comprehensive vented-to-unvented attic upgrades can significantly reduce utility costs while improving comfort, indoor air quality, and durability of the attic structure.
Description
Guide discussing disaster resistance related to asphalt shingle roofing when installing roofing on new construction or when repairing or replacing roofing on existing homes.
Description
This guide describes evaporative cooling technologies which can be used to cool homes in dry climates.
Description
Information guide providing background information about air flow in residential buildings.
Description
Guide describing how to apply flashing to the bottom of exterior walls to create a continuous drainage plane.
Description
Guide describing how to properly ventilate un-vented combustion appliances such as sealed fireplaces.
Description
Guide describing how to conduct combustion appliance zone testing.
Description
Information guide describing considerations for before retrofitting HVAC systems, retrofit scope considerations, and HVAC system replacement options.
Publication Date
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-specific information about air sealing and insulating common walls in multi-family buildings to help ensure that the measures will be accepted as being in compliance with the code. Providing the same information to all interested parties (e.g., code officials, builders, designers, etc.) is expected to result in increased compliance and fewer innovations being questioned at the time of plan review and/or field inspection.
Description
Guide describing the principal of compartmentalization in multifamily buildings - the separation of dwelling units from each other and from common areas in terms of air flow. Locations where air-sealing is critical to maintain separation of air spaces and air-sealing methods especially for party walls are also described.
Description
Installed correctly, comprehensive vented attic upgrades can significantly reduce utility costs while improving comfort, indoor air quality, and durability of the attic structure.
Description
Information guide describing best practices for ensuring the safety of those returning to a home after a disaster.
Description
Guide describing construction and insulation techniques for double wall framing.
Publication Date
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-related information for aerosol sealing building enclosures to achieve durable air tightness levels that will be accepted as being in compliance with the code.
Description
Guide describing how to achieve RESNET Grade 1 installation standards, and meet/exceed code using batt insulation in existing walls.
Description
Guide describing air barrier installation, insulation installation, and air-sealing for double walls (half or full walls included in a home design as an architectural feature that provides a more dimensional appearance).
Overview
An entirely new section in the 2015 IECC/IRC regarding fuel-burning appliances basically requires the appliance to be isolated from the building thermal envelope, located either outside or within a separate room if the fuel-burning appliance is supplied by open combustion air ducts. This brief provides an overview of the requirements and further details of approving the actual "room".
Publication Date
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-related information about sealing and insulating crawl space walls in existing residential buildings to help ensure that the measures will be accepted as being in compliance with the code. Providing the same information to all interested parties (e.g., code officials, builders, contractors, designers, etc.) is expected to result in increased compliance and fewer innovations being questioned at the time of plan review and/or field inspection.
Description
Guide describing how to properly test the air barrier between the garage and house, and how to ensure the air barrier is tight enough to prevent garage air from entering the home.
Description
Guide describing lighting choices and installation procedures in new and existing homes.
Description
Guide describing how to re-roof an existing home with a sloped and add insulation above the roof deck.
Description
Guide describing options for adding dehumidification equipment to a home to maintain indoor relative humidity below 60%.
Publication Date
Overview
This brief provides an overview of slab-on-grade insulation requirements, insulation protection, and flashing.
Description
Guide describing a method for insulating an unvented attic by spraying foam insulation along the underside of the roof deck.
Description
Guide describing condensing clothes dryers, which have a secondary heat exchanger and do not require exterior venting.
Overview
Code-related information about recessed lighting.
Description
Guide describing how to conduct duct leakage tests on all components of the HVAC system (including the air handler, ductwork, register boxes/boots, and all air devices such as diffusers, registers, or grilles).
Description
Guide describing construction of sloped roofs that are unvented and are insulated above the roof deck.
Description
Guide describing the split system heat pumps used for central forced air heating and cooling.
Description
Guide describing how to air-seal electrical wiring throughout a home.
Description
Guide describing how to air-seal around plumbing and piping penetrations through walls, ceilings, and floors.
Description
Guide describing how to install transfer grilles in bedroom walls to balance air pressures between rooms and to enable stale air to return to a central heating system's air handler for reconditioning even when room doors are closed.
Description
This guide describes how to install a rigid air barrier to separate the porch attic from the conditioned space.
Description
Overview guide describing how to prepare homes to be resistant to earthquake forces.
Description
Guide describing how to add spray foam insulation to the underside of the existing roof deck as part of the conversion of a vented attic to an unvented, insulated attic.
Description
Guide describing how to install continuous air barriers in exterior walls.
Description
Guide describing how to install a capillary break to help manage moisture in foundations.
Description
Guide describing how to conduct duct leakage tests per RESNET protocols.
Description
Guide describing how to install a bathroom exhaust fan to remove excess moisture.
Description
A guide describing how to install low-sloped ("flat") roofs with insulation above the roof deck that resist wind pressures during high-wind events.
Description
Guide describing how to seal roof valleys and how to seal around pipes, chimneys, and other roof deck penetrations.
Description
This guide describes how to install a whole-building ventilation system to provide adequate dilution of indoor air contaminants.
Description
Guide describing how to insulate a basement to improve the overall thermal performance of the building and provide more dry, usable conditioned space for home occupants and HVAC equipment.
Description
Guide describing ways to air-seal an attached garage in new and existing homes.
Description
Guide describing requirements and best practices for mechanical garage exhaust in multifamily buildings.
Description
Guide describing construction of gable roof overhangs to resist uplift pressures in high winds.
Description
Guide describing vapor retarder permeability, insulation interaction, and example construction in a hot-humid climate.
Description
Guide describing how to install a corrosion-resistant drain pan in condensate-producing HVAC equipment.
Description
Guide describing techniques and measures for increasing the termite resistance of a home's foundations.
Description
Guide describing how to air-seal sill plates in single-family homes and multifamily buildings.
Description
Guide providing guidance on insulating attic eaves in new and existing single-family homes and multifamily buildings.
Description
Guide describing how to properly construct decks and other building attachments to be resistant to ignition in the event of a wildfire.
Description
Guide describing principles of insulating and air sealing band joists as a stand alone energy upgrade, or as part of creating a closed crawlspace.
Description
Guide describing how to select and install whole-house ventilation systems for existing homes.
Description
Guide describing how to provide a strong continuous load path from the roof through the wall to the foundation to ensure a structurally sound building and increase racking resistance in hurricanes, high winds, tornados, and earthquakes.
Overview
The focus of this brief is on boiler efficiency, sizing requirements, controls, combustion air, and pipe insulation for the 2015 version of the IRC/IECC.
Publication Date
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-related information about heat recovery ventilation to help ensure that what is proposed regarding the heat recovery ventilator ‘product’ itself as well as ventilation measures can be verified as being in compliance with the code. Providing consistent information to document compliance with codes and standards to all relevant parties responsible for verifying with those codes and standards (e.g., code officials, builders, contractors, designers, etc.) is expected to result in increased compliance and more timely, less challenging and more uniform plan review and field inspections.
Description
Guide describing design for shelter-in-place spaces during windstorm storm events.
Description
Guide describing the design and installation of indoor automatic fire sprinklers in residential settings.
Description
Guide describing how to construct homes and decks to manage heavy snow loads in winter weather.
Description
A guide for choosing, installing, and flashing roof anchoring systems for solar panels.
Description
Guide describing wall assemblies and materials that are resistant to destruction from wildfires.
Description
Guide describing how to insulate closed crawlspace walls and band joist areas with rigid foam board insulation.
Overview
The intent of this brief is to provide code-related information about gas-fired boilers to help ensure that the measure will be accepted as being in compliance with the code. Providing notes for code officials on how to plan reviews and conduct field inspections can help builders or remodelers...