U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Program – Building America

Publications

Here you will find key publications outlining Building America strategies and techniques for improving efficiency of new and existing homes. You can also see affordable housing publications that describe cost effective, energy-efficient homes for low-income residents developed through Building America research.

Building America Publications by Climate Zone

The Map of the United States shows climate zones in different colors. The Marine zone contains the Pacific coast from the Canadian border to mid-California. The Hot-dry/Mixed-Dry zone contains the rest of California and follows the US border to mid-Texas. The Hot-Humid zone covers eastern Texas through Florida and includes Puerto Rico and Hawaii. The Mixed-Humid zone covers the mid-central to mid-eastern regions of the country. The Cold/Very Cold zone contains all of the Northern United States. Hot-Dry / Mixed-Dry Marine Hot-Humid Mixed-Humid Cold / Very Cold

Select a climate zone from the map above, and view a listing of climate regions by county in the Guide to Determining Climate Regions (PDF 1.2 MB). Download Adobe Reader.

Building America's Best Practices Series publications help builders achieve whole-house energy savings in five major climate zones. Using the system recommendations and process improvements outlined in these guides, builders can re-engineer their designs to achieve improved energy performance and quality. Case studies for new and existing homes provide results from actual projects.

Access the Best Practices Series publications and case studies by climate zone:

The Building America publications listed below offer energy-saving guidelines applicable to every climate zone in the United States.

Air Sealing: A Guide for Contractors to Share with Homeowners – Volume 10 (PDF 4.9 MB)
This guide provides information for contractors and homeowners to identify ways to seal unwanted air leaks in homes, while ensuring healthy levels of ventilation and avoiding indoor air pollution.

Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic Systems - Volume 6 (PDF 9.5 MB)
This publication provides an introduction to current photo­voltaic and solar thermal building practices, and features more than a dozen builder case studies

Builders Challenge Quality Criteria Support Document - Volume 8, Version 1.2 (PDF 12.4 MB)
This guide outlines 29 requirements and recommendation criteria that builders must meet to qualify for the Builders Challenge, and provides guidance for meeting the criteria.

Publications Database

For additional resources, search the full Building America Publications Database. The database offers information from a variety of sources addressing building technologies and strategies.