Homeowner Resources

BSI-012: Why Energy Matters — by John Straube — last modified 2009/07/28

This article was first published in "Perspectives," Volume 17, Number 1. Spring 2009. The on-going consumption of energy to operate, condition, and light a building, as well as the energy embodied in on-going maintenance is the largest single source of environmental damage and resource consumption due to buildings. Reducing the operational energy use and increasing durability should be the prime concerns of architects who wish to design and building “green” buildings.

BSI-015: Top Ten Dumb Things To Do In the South — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/02/20

Joseph Lstiburek's classic list of building practices not recommended for hot-humid climates. This list was first posted on Building Science Corporation's website in 1997.

RR-0216: Special Topics on Residential HVAC — by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/20

Discussion of cyclical trade-offs between building envelope improvements, reduced system size, and more efficient systems.

RR-0217: Building America Pilot Program—Guaranteed Resource- & Energy-Efficiency Now — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

A performance-based industry collaborative program in which energy, water, and maintenance guarantees can be translated into home buyer savings. The guarantees drive product performance, market demand, and environmental benefit. Collaboration among a wide variety of industry players ensures that the shared benefits of such a bold initiative outweigh the shared risks.

BSI-009: New Light In Crawlspaces — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/05/22

An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Think of the good old days—the Civil War, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII—crawlspaces were uninsulated. They were ventilated and they didn’t have ground covers—and they didn’t have problems. Why?

BSP-042: READ THIS: Before You Ventilate — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/09/09

Download the complete document to learn about practical recommendations for meeting your ventilation requirements.

BSP-043: READ THIS: Before You Move In — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/07/30

How you live in your home and how you clean and maintain your home affect the quality of air in your home. Keeping your home clean and dry makes it comfortable and healthy for you and unfriendly and unwelcoming to pests.

BSD-135: Ice Dams — by John Straube — last modified 2009/08/10

Ice dams are a common roof performance problem in buildings that experience snowfall and at least a month of below freezing temperatures. The combination of sufficient roof pitch, adequate insulation just above the exterior wall, and air sealing at the wall-roof assemblies transition are all essential to prevent ice dams. But ice dams can occur even in properly detailed roof assemblies from differential solar snow melt. This digest outlines both the causes and solutions to ice dam problems.

RR-0214: Conditioning Air in the Humid South—Creating Comfort and Controlling Cost — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/16

An examination of five different systems that show how to cool and dehumidify inside air while maintaining sufficient introduction of outside air for ventilation efficiently and cost-effectively.

RR-0310: EcoVillage Homeowner Handbook — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

After a high performance home has been designed, constructed, and commissioned, what ensures that the home is actually operated at peak performance? It takes just 24 easy-reading pages for the homeowner to learn just how simple it is to achieve the full benefits of these particular energy-efficient, comfortable, healthy, and durable homes.

RR-0507: Affordable Housing—Toward Zero Energy — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing zero energy homes, affordable housing and the available technologies to reach zero energy.

RR-0508: Understanding Green Homes & Durability — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

Presentation discussing the systems integration approach to energy efficient, durable, sustainable homes.

RR-0509a: Details for Mold-Free Homes — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing the causes of house failures due to mold.

RR-0509b: Details for Avoidance of Mold—Foundations — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing the details for building a dry foundation.

RR-0509c: Renovating Existing Basements — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing the details for renovating existing basements.

BSD-103: Understanding Basements — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/08/10

Buildings used to be constructed over cellars. Cellars were dank, dark places where coal was stored. People never intended to live in cellars. Now we have things called basements that have pool tables, media centers and play rooms. Cellars were easy to construct – rubble, stone, bricks and sometimes block. If they got wet or were damp so what? Basements are different. They are not easy to construct if we intend to live in them. They need to be dry, comfortable and keep contaminants out. Over the last 50 years there has been a notable expansion of living space. The useful conditioned space of building enclosures is expanding to the outer edge of the building skin (Figure 1). Attics, crawlspaces, garages and basements are valuable real estate that are being used to live in or used for storage or places to locate mechanical systems. Basements are viewed by many as cheap space that can easily be incorporated into a home. Keeping basements dry, comfortable and contaminant free is proving to be anything but simple.

RR-0202: Basement Insulation Systems — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/16

Heat loss from basements accounts for a significant portion of the energy loss from a home. In many jurisdictions, basement insulation is a building code requirement. Cost usually determines the type of insulation system used.

CS-BA01: Suwanee River Administration Building — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2009/08/25

Ultra low energy (ULE) buildings are closely related to the more widely known zero energy buildings. ULE's are energy self-sufficient, solar-powered structures. This case study is for the Suwanee River Administration Building in Clinch County, Georgia.

CS-BA02: EcoVillage Cleveland — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2009/04/15

EcoVillage Cleveland includes 20 state-of-the-art energy and resource efficient town homes that are also durable, sustainable and affordable.

RR-0401: Conditioned Crawl Space Construction, Performance and Codes — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/04/16

This paper discusses the differences between vented, unvented and conditioned crawl spaces. Best practice construction techniques and assemblies for conditioned crawl spaces are discussed, the results of a field monitoring program are presented, and the code language addressing crawl spaces is explained.