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

Building America Research Tools

Building America provides technical tools to support researchers and building industry professionals in ensuring consistent research results for new and existing homes. The following resources can be used to evaluate optimal building designs, access performance and cost data, execute field tests, and track research progress.

Image is a rendering of a two-story residential building with an entrance on the front. To the right of this building is another large building shaded in gray, and to the left is a smaller structure shaded in gray.Building Energy Optimization Software (BEopt): This software provides capabilities to evaluate residential building designs and identify cost-optimal efficiency packages at various levels of whole-house energy savings along the path to zero net energy.

Photo of a man standing in front of a door performing a blower door test.Field Test Best Practices: This website offers guidance on residential building field testing from start to finish, including: planning; selecting equipment, testing, and analyzing the results.

This photo shows a man in a white hazardous materials suit blowing insulation inside of an attic. He is wearing a headlamp on his head and the beam shines in the general direction of the insulation tube he is holding.National Residential Efficiency Measures Database: This centralized resource of residential building retrofit measures and associated estimated costs can help software developers and researchers analyze the trade-offs associated with using various energy efficiency measures.

This image shows a half of a cover of a report titled "Building America House Simulation Protocols."House Simulation Protocols: This report assists in the tracking of progress toward multi-year, whole-building energy reduction research goals for new and existing homes, using a consistent reference point.