http://www.buildingscience.com daily 1 2010-02-14T02:26:02Z http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/guides-and-manuals/gm-attic-air-sealing-guide Attics should be air sealed prior to adding insulation. Adding insulation alone does not save much energy and can lead to health and durability problems. The intent of this guide is to provide information for the preparation work necessary prior to adding attic insulation. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek doc-GuideManual resources-low-energy Building America Retrofit 2013-05-02T13:46:55Z BSC File http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-114-interior-insulation-retrofits-of-load-bearing-masonry-walls-in-cold-climates This digest reviews the moisture control principles that must be followed for a successful insulated retrofit of a solid load-bearing masonry wall. Two possible approaches to retrofitting such walls are presented and compared. No publisher John Straube ©2007 buildingscience.com Building Science Digests are information articles intended for professionals. The author and the publisher of this article have used their best efforts to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. The author and publisher make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to the information contained in this article. enclosure-Wall assembly moisture-Diffusion/Vapor Pressure airflow-Indoor Air Quality thermal-Insulation comp-walls moisture-Drainage plane type-high-rise type-low-rise moisture-Vapor Permeance type-institutional doc-Digest residential ventilation guidance-Wall design Retrofit 2013-03-28T19:09:53Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-139-deep-energy-retrofit-of-a-sears-roebuck-house-a-home-for-the-next-100-years The American Foursquare, a Sears, Roebuck & Co. kit home, was a staple of small American towns between 1908 and 1940. More than 100,000 of them were built in America. Homes built prior to 1980 make up 80% of the housing stock in the United States, and are responsible for a majority of the residential energy use in the country. All of the renovations used systems engineering principles to ensure good indoor air quality and longterm durability while providing deep energy reductions. This posting is permission of ASHRAE. Additional reproduction, distribution, or transmission in either print or digital form is not permitted without ASHRAE's prior written permission. No publisher Betsy Pettit, FAIA moisture-Diffusion/Vapor Pressure airflow-Indoor Air Quality deep energy retrofit moisture-Vapor Permeance ASHRAE doc-Digest resources-low-energy doc-PublishedArticle Retrofit 2013-03-03T02:56:58Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-013-face-lift-for-old-buildings An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. So what do you do when you have an old building and the walls aren't doing their job? What do you do when the walls look bad, leak and are falling apart? You give them a face-lift. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek moisture-Drainage plane EIFS doc-Insight ASHRAE Retrofit resources-mold 2013-04-03T03:17:01Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-018-westford-house An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. You have got to love salesmen. They figure things out way before physicists, usually before engineers and certainly before greenie weenies. They found, what we should all know, that it is much more cost effective to fix the enclosure so that the actual system that you need is small and therefore does not cost much to install and does not cost much to operate. Oh, by the way, this approach also saves energy. Who knew? No publisher Joseph Lstiburek guidance-Enclosure design principles zero-energy climate-Building design and climate doc-Insight Retrofit moisture-Flashing/Deflection moisture-Convection/Air barriers Building America ASHRAE renovation green buildings 2013-02-26T20:02:19Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-035-we-need-to-do-it-different-this-time An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Those of us who are no longer young remember how easy it was going to be to save energy by caulking and insulating. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek resources-low-energy doc-Insight Retrofit ASHRAE 2013-02-26T01:12:48Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-041-rubble-foundations An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. It’s pretty easy to deal with new basements. If you want a challenge try dealing with century old houses sitting on top of rubble foundations. These houses are not going away and sooner or later we are going to have to fix them and insulate them. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek guidance-Below-grade enclosure doc-Insight enclosure-Foundation assembly drainage Retrofit 2012-04-06T16:40:33Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-043-dont-be-dense An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. I do not have a problem with dense packing walls. In fact, dense packing walls typically results in remarkable performance. It is the dense packing of unvented cathedral ceilings or unvented flat roofs that is the problem. No publisher Joseph Lstiburek guidance-Enclosure design principles doc-Insight thermal-Physics of Thermal Control analysis-Material Properties ASHRAE Retrofit 2013-04-02T23:58:30Z BSC Article 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/case-studies/cold-climate-bedford-farmhouse-retrofit-case-study Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell (HfHGL) has again partnered with Building Science Corporation for the renovation of a mid-19th century farmhouse into affordable housing meeting Building America performance standards. No publisher Building Science Corporation guidance-Enclosure design principles doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold resources-low-energy Building America renovation Retrofit doc-DesignsThatWork 2013-04-02T15:35:12Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/case-studies/cs-climate-concord-four-square-retrofit Homes built prior to 1980 make up 80% of the housing stock in the United States, and are responsible for a majority of the residential energy use in the country. The objective of this project was to show that a 50% reduction in home energy use could be met today in existing housing. No publisher Betsy Pettit, FAIA doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold resources-low-energy photovoltaics Retrofit 2013-04-02T15:59:32Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/case-studies/ma-jamaica-plain-ngrid-comprehensive-der-three-family-triple-decker The retrofit project included new fiber cement siding installed over exterior insulation, new high performance windows, a conditioned basement, improved insulation at the attic and roof, and improved air tightness. No publisher Building Science Corporation guidance-Enclosure design principles resources-homeowner deep energy retrofit doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold resources-low-energy Building America renovation Retrofit doc-DesignsThatWork 2013-04-02T17:03:06Z 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/case-studies/cs-ma-lancaster-ngrid-deep-energy-retrofit-small-colonial Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts received this circa 1900 property as a donation from the Town of Lancaster and the project plan needed to be formed around donated materials and volunteer labor. The result is a project that serves as an impressive example of what is attainable under such circumstances. No publisher Building Science Corporation guidance-Enclosure design principles resources-homeowner deep energy retrofit doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold resources-low-energy Building America renovation Retrofit doc-DesignsThatWork 2013-04-02T16:56:30Z BSC Article http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/case-studies/cs-ma-ngrid-deep-energy-retrofit-18th-century-cape In June of 2009, National Grid launched a pilot program intended to demonstrate Deep Energy Retrofits (DER) in existing Massachusetts homes. The pilot program provides financial incentives and technical support to projects that commit to achieving significant energy reduction and successfully complete a long application process. No publisher Building Science Corporation guidance-Enclosure design principles resources-homeowner deep energy retrofit doc-CaseStudy climate-zone-cold resources-low-energy Building America renovation Retrofit doc-DesignsThatWork 2013-04-02T16:13:43Z BSC Article