Worth a Visit: Sites Off-PATH

Get comfortable, there's a lot of resources to help you quench your thirst for knowledge.

Healthy Homes Links

Center for Healthy Housing's Recommendations for Healthy Housing (pdf)

EPA's Indoor Air Quality in Homes

EPA's Mold Guide

HUD's Help Yourself to a Healthy Home

Home Safety Council's Home Safety Checklist

Electrical Safety Foundation's Indoor Electrical Safety Checklist

Green Building Links

The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: This report, commissioned by the State of California, examines the financial implications of building green. They conclude that green features will pay back over 10 times their cost premium over 20 years.

Energy Efficiency Links

A Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: This Department of Energy site recommends ways that you can design energy efficiency into your home.

Quality Building / Whole-House Design

Building America
Building America is a Department of Energy program dedicated to improving the energy-efficiency of new and existing homes. They have built more than 30,000 homes, and frequently publish practical lessons from their hands-on experience.

• Hot-Humid Climate Best Practices Guide
  This Building America guide details the best building practices for durable and energy-efficient construction that can save 30% on energy bills in the hot and humid climates of the south and southwestern United States.
• Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates Best Practices Guide
  This Building America guide details the best building practices for durable and energy-efficient construction that can save 30% on energy bills in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates of the southeast.
• Cold and Very-Cold Climates Best Practices Guide(pdf)
  This Building America guide details the best building practices for durable and energy-efficient construction that can save 30% on energy bills in the cold and very-cold climates of the northern United States.
• Mixed-Climate Best Practices Guide(pdf)
  This Building America guide details the best building practices for durable and energy-efficient construction that can save 30% on energy bills in the mixed-climate of the mid-atlantic and lower midwest.
  
• Building America Information Resources Search
  This online library disseminates technical information, including guidebooks, fact sheets, and case studies, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program and its associated buildings projects. The publications in this database are presented as PDF files and can be searched according to subject categories or document type.

House Design Recommendations by Climate: Written for Building America by the Building Science Corporation, these recommendations take the above Best Practices Guides to the next level.

Content updated on 5/18/2009