If you live in a manufactured home, chances are you may have a disproportionately higher energy bill than a family living in a modular or traditional wood frame home. The good news is there are many ways you can improve your home's energy efficiency.
First, a clarification. Some people use the terms manufactured home and mobile home interchangeably. A mobile home is a factory-built home constructed before 1976, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development set national standards that nearly every manufactured home must now meet. Thereafter, factory-built home were called manufactured homes and are engineered and constructed in accordance with those standards.
Manufactured homes come in all shapes and sizes. They may be single- or multi- sectioned and are available in various sizes and floor plan configurations. There are may differences between manufactured homes built before the HUD code took effect and those built afterward.
One of the major differences is energy efficiency. Those built before federal standards were put it place generally not as energy efficient as later models, even though thermal standards were changed in 1994. And while manufactured home may have been built to the energy standards of the time, significant progress has been made in recent decades with high efficiency mechanical equipment, windows, insulation, siding and roofing materials.
In short, whether your home is less than 5 years old or more than 50, most homes can benefit from energy efficiency measures simply due to wear and tear. Sunlight, seasonal temperature changes and wind can increase air leakage. Doors and windows may not close tightly, and duct-work can spring leaks, wasting cooling and heating energy.
Here are some recommendations to retrofit your manufactured home and improve energy efficiency:
- Install energy-efficient windows and doors.
- Replace insulation in the belly.
- Make general repairs (seal bottom board, caulk windows, doors, ducts, etc.)
- Add insulation to the walls.
- Install or seal belly wrap.
- Add insulation to the roof or install a roof cap.
- Caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors, particularly if you are not able to replace them with more energy-efficient ones.
- Properly seal any openings around ducts and plumbing fixtures.
- Replace any incandescent light bulbs with LED's - inside and out.
- Reduce phantom loads by unplugging electronic devices such as computers, printers and gaming systems when not in use.
If you plan to move to a new manufactured home, look for an Energy Star-rated model.