Building America Best Practices Series, Volume 9: Builders Challenge Guide to 40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates

Technical Report · Fri Oct 23 04:00:00 EDT 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/973448· OSTI ID:973448

Baechler, Michael C; Gilbride, Theresa L; Hefty, Marye G; Williamson, Jennifer L; Ruiz, Kathleen A; Bartlett, Rosemarie; Love, Pat M

This best practices guide is the ninth in a series of guides for builders produced by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program. This guide book is a resource to help builders design and construct homes that are among the most energy-efficient available, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort. With the measures described in this guide, builders in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates can achieve homes that have whole house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark (a home built to mid-1990s building practices roughly equivalent to the 1993 Model Energy Code) with no added overall costs for consumers. These best practices are based on the results of research and demonstration projects conducted by Building America’s research teams. The guide includes information for managers, designers, marketers, site supervisors, and subcontractors, as well as case studies of builders who are successfully building homes that cut energy use by 40% in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 973448
• Report Number(s): PNNL-18899; BT0101000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR QUALITY
BENCHMARKS
BUILDERS
Builders Challenge
Building America
CLIMATES
CONTRACTORS
DESIGN
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
HOUSES
HVAC
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MARKETERS
Model Energy Code
OCCUPANTS
SAFETY
architects
builders
contractors
energy-efficient housing
foundation
optimum value engineering
roof
ventilation
walls
zero energy home