This library of educational resources is specifically curated for homeowners looking to learn more about residential clean energy and energy efficiency. Educational offerings include short video tutorials and an additional curated library.
- BuildingGreen – BuildingGreen, Inc. is an independent, mission-based consultancy and publisher based in Brattleboro, Vermont. For over 20 years, BuildingGreen has been the trusted source on healthy and sustainable design and construction strategies available online and in-person through consulting and training services.
- Cool Roofs Fact Sheet – U.S. Department of Energy brochure on cool roofs; describing the science behind cool roofs, how to purchase cool roof materials, and the benefits of cool roofs.
- Energy Star Certified Homes and Apartments – ENERGY STAR certified homes and apartments are at least 10% more energy efficient than homes built to code and achieve a 20% improvement on average, while providing homeowners with better quality, performance, and comfort.
- Energy Star Efficient Products – ENERGY STAR products are independently certified to save energy without sacrificing features or functionality and delivering the quality, performance, and savings that consumers have come to expect.
- Energy Star Home Advisor – The ENERGY STAR Home Advisor was created to help homeowners improve a home’s energy efficiency while adding comfort and value.
- Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick – EPA’s Home Energy Yardstick provides a simple assessment of a home’s annual energy use compared to similar homes. By answering a few basic questions a homeowner can get: The home’s Home Energy Yardstick score (on a scale of 0 to 10); Insights into how much the home’s energy use is related to heating and cooling versus other everyday uses like appliances, lighting, and hot water; Links to guidance from ENERGY STAR on how to increase the home’s score, improve comfort, and lower utility bills; and An estimate of the home’s annual carbon emissions.
- Energy Star Program – ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect our climate through superior energy efficiency.
- Foundation Design Handbook– This handbook provides information that enables designers, builders, and homeowners to understand foundation design problems and solutions.
- Home Energy Saver– The Home Energy Saver™ (HES) empowers homeowners and renters to reduce energy use in their homes. HES recommends energy-saving upgrades that are appropriate to the home and make sense for the home’s climate and local energy prices. The money invested in these upgrades commonly earns “interest” in the form of energy bill savings, at an annual rate of 20% or more. HES also estimates the home’s carbon footprint and shows how much it can be reduced.
- Home Innovation Research Labs – Home Innovation Research Labs (formerly the NAHB Research Center) was founded in 1964 as a wholly-owned, independent subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Originating as a small product testing laboratory, it has grown to become a full-service market research, consulting, product testing, and accredited third-party certification agency dedicated solely to issues related to the home building industry.
- National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)– Established by Congress, NIBS is non-profit, non-governmental organization bringing together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor, and consumer interests to focus on the identification and resolution of problems that hamper the construction of safe, affordable structures for housing, commerce and industry throughout the United States. The Institute provides an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sector of the economy with respect to the use of building science and technology.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: ResStock Analysis Tool– The ResStock™ Analysis Tool identifies which home improvements save the most energy and money for cities, states, municipalities, utilities, and manufacturers. This tool processes data from supercomputer simulations with a statistical model of housing stock characteristics as well as large public and private data sources.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Technology Performance Exchange – The Technology Performance Exchange™ provides consumers, manufacturers, vendors, modelers, researchers, and utilities standardized product data to facilitate and improve assessments and comparisons of building-related products. This is a centralized, web-based portal for finding and sharing information on cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies.
- NEEA Emerging Technology Reports – The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) publishes quarterly reports on emerging technologies that can reduce energy consumption in homes and business across the Northwest.
- Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance – The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is an alliance of more than 140 Northwest utilities and energy efficiency organizations working to advance energy efficiency on behalf of more than 13 million energy consumers.
- RESFEN – A tool to help consumers and builders pick the most energy-efficient and cost-effective window for a given application, for new homes, additions, or as window replacements. It calculates heating and cooling energy use and associated costs as well as peak heating and cooling demand for specific window products.
- US DOE Home Energy Score – Developed by the Department of Energy and its national laboratories, the Home Energy Score™ provides home owners, buyers, and renters directly comparable and credible information about a home’s energy use. Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score™ is based on a standard assessment of energy-related assets to easily compare energy use across the housing market.
- US DOE Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®– Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) program connects homeowners with experienced and trusted contractors that can help them understand their home’s energy use and identify home improvements that increase energy performance, improve comfort and health, and lower utility bills.
- US DOE Solar Decathlon -Established in 2002, the Solar Decathlon® is an annual collegiate competition, comprising 10 contests, that challenges student teams to design and build highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy. The winners are will be those teams that best blend architectural and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart energy production.
- US DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes Program – Zero Energy Ready Homes represent a whole new level of home performance, with rigorous requirements that ensure outstanding levels of energy savings, comfort, health, and durability. DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes program provides information on achieving these performance levels, together with recognition to buildings and builders who achieve them.
- Whole Building Design Gide (WBDG) – Maintained by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the WBDG is the only web-based portal providing government and industry practitioners with one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria, and technology from a ‘whole buildings’ perspective. Currently organized into three major categories—Design Guidance, Project Management, and Operations & Maintenance—at the heart of the WBDG are Resource Pages, reductive summaries on particular topics.