Building Science Advisor (BSA) is a no-cost, web-based tool that provides expert guidance on the moisture durability and energy efficiency of new and retrofit wall assembly designs. BSA helps teach building science principles and can inform residential building designers on how to specify energy-efficient, moisture-durable wall systems, with a simple, intuitive user-interface. The tool leverages expert knowledge and a database of thousands of pre-simulated hygrothermal models to provide rapid feedback and expert guidance on wall assembly design, tailored for the user’s location. BSA is designed for builders, architects, engineers, and students of building science.
Get Started Learn MoreTo get started select Assessment or Pre-Assessment mode. Assessment modes is designed for users familiar with residential wall construction. Pre-Assessment mode has guidance and resources specifically tailored for those users with little or no background/experience in the design of residential wall constructions. Pre-Assessment mode will walk users through the design process from the selection of the exterior climate to individual components that make up the building envelope. These modes apply to new and retrofit constructions.
BSA enables experts and novices to evaluate the moisture durability of wall designs based on user inputs. If the user is not familiar with residential wall materials and construction, they can select “Guide to New Wall Construction” under resources for guidance regarding material selection. In addition to the wall construction, the guide provides information regarding the selection of climate zones. Otherwise, the user can select the assessment mode and go directly to the wall construction section. Guidance is also available as drop-down menus in the Wall Construction page for each of the component selections.
For the case of energy improvements in the form of envelope energy upgrades, BSA compares the performance of the existing wall to the retrofit solution. For this to work, the user needs to be familiar with the existing construction. If the user is new to energy retrofits, the pre-assessment path will provide guidance with respect to issues concerning the existing construction as well as construction of the energy retrofit.
BSA is intended for users such as architects, designers, contractors, and builders who have a working knowledge of how building envelopes are constructed and are seeking general feedback on the moisture durability of a proposed wall assembly or retrofit. The tool provides an estimate on performance and is not intended to replace expert advice or hygrothermal simulation. The existing database is limited to conventional building envelope constructions such as wood frame or masonry. Wall assemblies that are atypical will not find matches in the tool and therefore cannot be evaluated with the BSA. In these instances, the user should seek expert advice.
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