Technical Resources

BSI-011: Capillarity—Small Sacrifices — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/02/21

An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Water causes enough trouble by itself, but when we add salt we go to a whole different level, especially where porous materials are concerned. What is the deal with porous materials? Simple, porous materials are capable of wicking water large distances due to capillary suction. And when water can move large distances only bad things can happen.

BSI-012: Why Energy Matters — by John Straube — last modified 2009/05/26

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.

RR-0008: Time-Based Scheduling of Residential Ventilation — by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/15

Discussion of the purposes and practices of residential ventilation.

RR-0108: Unvented Roof Systems — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/16

Unvented roof systems can be safely used in many different climates. In cold climates, insulating sheathing must be added exterior to the roof sheathing to prevent condensation on the underside of the roof sheathing.

RR-0109: Sizing and Startup Procedures for Cooling Systems — by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/16

High performance building envelopes deserve high performance comfort conditioning systems. Especially for refrigerant based cooling systems, proper sizing and startup procedures are critical.

RR-0110: HVAC Equipment Sizing Strategies: Taking Advantage of High-Performance Buildings — by Kohta Ueno — last modified 2008/10/16

If you are going to fine-tune your building enclosure, fine-tuning your HVAC system becomes even more important. This presentation covers everything you need to know to right-size your HVAC for better performance, fewer callbacks, and happier customers.

RR-0111: Placement of Ducts and HVAC Systems in Conditioned Space: An Overview — by Kohta Ueno — last modified 2008/10/16

A discussion of the placement of ducts and HVAC equipment inside the conditioned space.

RR-0215: Dehumidification Systems Research Results — by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/16

Moisture is the number one enemy of the durability of a house. Installing controlled mechanical supply ventilation systems, and dehumidification separate from cooling for humid climates is one of the ways to insure durability with respect to moisture.

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?

RR-0502: Review of Residential Ventilation Technologies — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

This paper reviews current and potential ventilation technologies for residential buildings with particular emphasis on North American climates and construction.

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-0410: Vapor Barriers and Wall Design — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/04/16

Good design and practice involve controlling the wetting of building assemblies from both the exterior and interior and different climates require different approaches.

RR-0411: Vent on Venting — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/04/16

Just about everyone in the building industry can be guilty of using building terms loosely, and a prime example is with attics, roof assemblies. Just so that we are all on the same page.

RR-0413a: The Snapshot—A Quick Description — by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/30

SNAPSHOT stands for Short, Non-destructive Approach to Provide Significant House Operation Thresholds.

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-0509e: Slabs — by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing the details for building slabs.

RR-0103: Water Management — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/15

This is a concise overview of the principles and steps to follow when dealing with water from the foundation to the roof.

BSD-103: Understanding Basements — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/05/25

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-0404: Roof Design — by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2009/04/16

Roofs can be designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygro-thermal zone. Air barrier systems are typically the most common approach, however, air pressure control approaches are be-coming more common especially in cases involving remedial work on existing structures. Vapor diffusion should be considered as a secondary moisture transport mechanism when designing and building roofs. Specific vapor retarders are often unnecessary if appropriate air movement control is provided or if control of condensing surface temperatures is provided.

RR-0002: Practical Approaches to Residential Ventilation for Improved Durability and Indoor Air Quality — by Armin Rudd — last modified 2009/04/16

This presentation examines how to provide durability for little or no incremental cost, as a goal of the Building America program.