 
Understanding how
mechanical and
electrical systems function together helps consumers plan for affordable, efficient, reliable, safe, and comfortable homes. PATH promotes such understanding by providing accurate, unbiased information.
Electrical:
PATH Tools
Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor
This easy-to-use Web-based tool will help you integrate energy efficiency into your remodeling or rehab project. It provides recommended energy efficiency measures for most types of rehab projects, as well as the associated costs, energy savings and additional benefits of incorporating the measures.
Organizing Residential Utilities: A New Approach to Housing Quality November 2004
Utilities are run almost haphazardly through the walls of stick-built homes, sometimes compromising structure and insulating integrity, and always making repair and modification difficult. In the future, utilities will become more complicated as homes become centers of work, learning, communication, entertainment, preventative health care, and distributed energy production. This report outlines methods of disentangling utilities, with the goal of increasing the functionality of housing, while reducing its cost.
The Rehab Guide Volume 7: Electrical/Electronics April 2001
The Rehab Guides are a series of nine guidebooks to inform the design and construction industry about state-of-the-art materials and innovative practices in housing rehabilitation. Volume 7 provides an overview and a reference resource for information about electrical/electric systems, subsystems, and materials.
Electrical Raceways
Encased electrical and communication wires simplify the task of wiring and reduce wall penetrations that can compromise a building's thermal performance.
Structured Wiring System
Provides upgraded telephone and video wiring (typically category-5 and RG-6) with a design that allows greater flexibility than standard telephone and video wiring.
Information-Age Wiring for Home Automation Systems
Describes how home automation systems can control a home's systems (e.g. sensors, wiring, appliances) from a single control center.
Full Spectrum Flourescent Lamps
"Full spectrum" lighting is the type of residential fluorescent lighting generally associated with qualities similar to incandescent lighting that has a high Color Rendition Index (CRI).
LED Lighting
LED (light emitting diode) lamps consume less than a quarter of the electricity that fluorescent lighting does, and the lamps last about ten times as long.
Emergency Power Backup Systems
Emergency backup systems currently available on the market make it possible for homeowners to have continued access to electrical service during power outages.
Fuel Cell: Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
CHP units located in a building or home and using waste heat from generating electricity will be more efficient than generating electricity at a central plant where losses are high and the waste heat cannot be used.
Mechanical:
PATH Tools
The Rehab Guide Volume 8: HVAC/Plumbing February 2000
The Rehab Guides are a series of nine guidebooks to inform the design and construction industry about state-of-the-art materials and innovative practices in housing rehabilitation. Volume 8 includes information on these topics among others: HVAC Design and Engineering; Distribution Systems; Indoor Air Quality; Plumbing Design and Engineering; and Fire Protection Systems.
HVAC Sizing Methodology for Insulated Concrete Homes February 2004
The objective of this work was to compile available information regarding energy use in concrete homes, develop additional information as needed, and use this information to develop a methodology to properly size heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment for concrete homes in the US and Canada.
Right-Size Heating and Cooling Equipment: The correct size improves comfort and reduces costs, maintenance, and energy use January 2002
This technology fact sheet from the Department of Energy helps people choose the correct equipment size for heating and cooling to improve comfort and reduce costs, maintenance, and energy use.
Organizing Residential Utilities: A New Approach to Housing Quality November 2004
Utilities are run almost haphazardly through the walls of stick-built homes, sometimes compromising structure and insulating integrity, and always making repair and modification difficult. In the future, utilities will become more complicated as homes become centers of work, learning, communication, entertainment, preventative health care, and distributed energy production. This report outlines methods of disentangling utilities, with the goal of increasing the functionality of housing, while reducing its cost.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
These ground-source heat pumps use the natural heat storage capacity of the earth or ground water to provide energy efficient heating and cooling.
Desiccant Cooling
Improves comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency of a mechanically-ventilated home by removing humidity before it is cooled by an air conditioner or evaporative cooler.
High Efficiency Air Conditioners without HCFC
These air conditioners do not use a HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) refrigerant, a known cause of depletion to the ozone layer. In the future, the EPA intends to prohibit the use of HCFCs.
HVAC "Smart" Zoning Controls
Dampers and electronic controls attached to standard central air systems can save energy and increase occupant comfort and convenience.
Ventilation Control Systems
Economical and affordable ventilation control systems are ideal for use anywhere specific ventilation rates are desired.
Energy and Heat Recovery Ventilators (ERV/HRV)
HRVs use heat exchangers to heat or cool incoming fresh air, recapturing 60 to 80 percent of the conditioned temperatures that would otherwise be lost.
Central Air Purification/Ventilation/Dehumidification Systems
Central air purification systems minimize the amounts of unhealthy small particulates in indoor air.
Mini-Duct Air Distribution System
These small diameter ducts can be more easily threaded through floor, ceiling, and wall cavities than conventional ductwork.
Aerosol Duct Sealing
Aerosol duct sealing, when used in conjunction with traditional methods of tape and mastic, makes heating and cooling ducts 5 to 8 times more airtight than tape and mastic alone.
Content updated on 7/11/2006
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