Manufactured homes make up 7% of all new homes constructed each year and are a prime source of affordable housing, but according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), they’re also subject to outdated federal energy efficiency standards. The Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed a revised standard that seeks to protect affordability for low-income residents, but it will also likely send energy bills higher. Instead, stronger universal energy regulations could preserve affordability by reducing high energy costs for 1 million residents.
- Strong efficiency standards for manufactured homes would improve affordability by lowering total housing costs and alleviating high energy burdens for nearly 1,000,000 residents
- Low-income residents of manufactured homes tend to be renters or to live in older homes, in which the net savings from energy efficiency measures are highest
- The stronger standard proposed by DOE would yield $3,383 in net savings over the life of an average home, with savings increasing for residents of older homes