http://www.buildingscience.com daily 1 2011-05-13T08:05:39Z http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-066-holes-and-leaks An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. To claim that something that has holes in it can act as a water control layer is a pretty interesting argument. It is both true and untrue. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek cladding attachment vapor permeance doc-Insight ASHRAE infiltration airflow-Airtightness/Air barrier 2013-03-29T16:21:49Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1302-retrofit-multifamily-mass-masonry-building-new-england Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity (MVHfH) has partnered with Building Science Corporation to provide high performance affordable housing for 10 families in the retrofit of an existing brick building (a former convent) into condominiums. The condominium conversion project will contribute to several areas of space conditioning, water heating, and enclosures research. Enclosure items include insulation of mass masonry building on the interior, airtightness of these types of retrofits, multi-unit building compartmentalization, window selection and roof insulation strategies. Mechanical system items include combined hydronic and space heating systems with hydronic distribution in small (low load) units, and ventilation system retrofits for multifamily buildings. No publisher Ueno/Kerrigan/Wytrykowska/Van Straaten thermal-Thermal Mass doc-Report 2013-04-09T19:35:42Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1202-byggmeister-test-home-cold-climate-multifamily-retrofit-analysis Building Science Corporation (BSC) has been working with Byggmeister, a partner on the Building America (BA) team, on retrofit projects under the BA program. Byggmeister is a local design-build firm that specializes in energy efficient retrofits and new construction. The Duclos, Eldrenkamp and Panish Energy Group (DEEP Energy Group), which is associated with Byggmeister, conducts design-phase energy analysis and monitors completed projects. The Byggmeister multifamily test home located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (Jamaica Plain or J.P. Three-Family) is a three-story brick row house . The test home is examined with the goal of producing a case study that could be applied to similar New England homes. Basic areas of research that this report is expected to contribute include finding the combination of measures that are feasible, affordable, and suitable for this type of construction and acceptable to homeowners. No publisher Honorata Wytrykowska, Kohta Ueno, Randy Van Straaten guidance-Enclosure design principles climate-zone-cold analysis-Hygrothermal modelling doc-Report Retrofit 2013-04-09T19:44:10Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-063-over-roofing An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Seventeen years ago we bought an old house—a fixer upper—over a hundred years old—in Westford, MA. I was going to make sure it would end up energy efficient. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek moisture-Roofs doc-Insight climate-zone-cold ASHRAE enclosure-Roof assembly Retrofit guidance-Roof design 2013-02-25T17:22:49Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1204-external-insulation-masonry-walls-wood-framed-walls This research project developed baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2” to 8”) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls through the use of wood furring strips (fastened through the insulation back to the structure) as a cladding attachment location. Furthermore, water management details necessary to connect the exterior insulated wall assemblies to roofs, balconies, decks, and windows were created to provide guidance on the integration of exterior insulation strategies with other enclosure elements. No publisher Peter Baker cladding attachment exterior insulation Building America doc-Report enclosure-Wall assembly-insulation renovation Retrofit 2013-04-09T19:49:29Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1201-masonry-wall-insulation-interior-embedded-beam-simulations There is a large existing stock of uninsulated mass masonry buildings: their uninsulated walls result in poor energy performance, which is commonly addressed with the retrofit of interior insulation. Some durability issues associated with interior insulation have been or are being addressed, such as interstitial condensation and freeze-thaw damage issues. However, another durability risk is the hygrothermal behavior of moisture-sensitive wood beams embedded in the load-bearing masonry. Interior insulation reduces the beam end temperatures, reduces available drying potential, and results in higher relative humidity conditions in the beam pocket: all of these factors pose a greater risk to durability. No publisher Kohta Ueno 2013-04-03T02:58:40Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/enclosures-that-work/retrofit-building-profiles/national-grid-deep-energy-retrofit-westford-modern-colonial-retrofit No publisher Building Science Corporation enclosure-Wall assembly guidance-Windows doc-EnclosuresThatWork resources-homeowner guidance-Below-grade enclosure deep energy retrofit renovation climate-zone-cold enclosure-Foundation assembly guidance-Roof design enclosure-Roof assembly guidance-Wall design Retrofit 2013-04-02T20:46:26Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/case-studies/ma-westford-national-grid-deep-energy-retrofit-westford-modern-colonial-retrofit There are many suburban neighborhoods built within the last 20 years that have similar houses. This project demonstrates the potential for significant energy savings for these newer homes. No publisher Building Science Corporation enclosure-Wall assembly ERV resources-homeowner guidance-Building systems/HVAC guidance-Below-grade enclosure deep energy retrofit guidance-Windows doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold enclosure-Foundation assembly guidance-Roof design enclosure-Roof assembly guidance-Wall design renovation Retrofit 2013-04-02T17:06:58Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-058-parthenon An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. The Parthenon was constructed around 450 B.C. as a temple to the Goddess Athena. More recently a temple overlooking Vancouver was constructed by the contractor Gauvin the Younger to honor the God of Building Science Hutcheon. For the past five years the Devout have been sprinkling water on the temple Icons carefully watching the results. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek diffusion moisture-Diffusion/Vapor Pressure doc-Insight ASHRAE vapor barrier 2013-02-26T23:58:50Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/enclosures-that-work/retrofit-building-profiles/etw-ma-gloucester-national-grid-deep-energy-retrofit-gloucester-coastal-cottage-building-profile No publisher Building Science Corporation enclosure-Wall assembly enclosure-Roof assembly deep energy retrofit climate-zone-cold enclosure-Foundation assembly Building America doc-BuildingProfile doc-EnclosuresThatWork Retrofit 2013-04-02T20:44:53Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/case-studies/cs-ma-gloucester-cold-climate-national-grid-deep-energy-retrofit-gloucester-coastal-cottage In 1920, when this house was built on the bank of a coastal cove, it served as a summer cottage complete with a boat dock. Over the years, the house has been remodeled, added to, and converted to a year-round residence. Now, as part of the latest renovation, it has undergone a deep energy retrofit. No publisher Building Science Corporation enclosure-Wall assembly subsystems-HVAC enclosure-Wall assembly-sheathing deep energy retrofit enclosure-Wall assembly-siding doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold enclosure-Foundation assembly Building America enclosure-Roof assembly resources-homeowner enclosure-Wall assembly-insulation guidance-Construction details Retrofit doc-DesignsThatWork 2013-04-02T17:05:41Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1108-hybrid-foundations-retrofits-measure-guideline Basements can account for up to one quarter of the typical energy consumption in a house. Therefore, insulating foundations is a critical measure for achieving high performance buildings. This is important in both new construction and retrofits of existing buildings. The fundamental problems and “best practice solutions” for moisture-safe basement insulation have been well established. However, many foundations are damp (either due to bulk water or capillary “wicking” of moisture) or of a type of construction that is not easy or straightforward to insulate (such as rubble foundations). Damp foundation repair methods can be “leveraged” to provide energy efficiency benefits. An example of this “hybrid” approach is spray foam insulation, which can be an effective means of liquid phase water control (leaking basement), vapor phase water control (diffusion and air leakage transported condensation) as well as an effective insulation. No publisher Kohta Ueno and Joseph Lstiburek comp-below-grade enclosure-Foundation assembly Building America moisture-Physics of Moisture Control doc-Report Retrofit 2013-02-27T01:52:26Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-057-hockey-pucks-and-hydrostatic-pressure An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Engineers are pretty funny people. Engineers say that 1 inch of water exerts a force of – wait for it – 1 inch. Yup, 1 inch of water weighs 1 inch of water. It’s a gift we engineers have. Let me help you all out a little bit here, go suck on a straw and draw 1 inch of water up into the straw. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek guidance-Enclosure design principles moisture-Physics of Moisture Control doc-Insight ASHRAE 2012-04-03T16:20:45Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1105-internal-insulation-masonry-walls-final-measure-guideline Load-bearing masonry buildings are a significant portion of the existing building stock. Given the Building America goals of reducing home energy use by 30%-50% (compared to 2009 energy codes for new homes and pre-retrofit energy use for existing homes), insulation and air sealing of mass masonry walls will need to be a component of this work if mass masonry residential buildings are to be addressed. No publisher John Straube, Kohta Ueno and Christopher Schumacher enclosure-Wall assembly doc-Report moisture-Moisture storage Building America analysis-Hygrothermal modelling moisture-Physics of Moisture Control guidance-Wall design Retrofit 2013-03-28T19:08:26Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-056-leiningen-versus-the-ants-redux An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. It was the ants that finally did it. It wasn’t the shingles that needed to be replaced. It wasn’t the three-dimensional airflow network in the roof assembly. It wasn’t the lack of racking resistance. It wasn’t the lack of thermal resistance. It was the ants. Carpenter ants. There were just too many ants in my renovated barn. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek guidance-Enclosure design principles doc-Insight WUFI thermal-Physics of Thermal Control ASHRAE moisture-Physics of Moisture Control climate-Building design and climate 2012-08-14T20:21:04Z BSC Article