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Preparing your manufactured I


f you live in a manufactured home, chances are you may have a disproporƟ onately higher energy bill than a family living in a modular or tradiƟ onal wood-frame home. The good news is there are many ways you can improve your home’s energy eĸ ciency.


Manufactured home or mobile home?


First, a clari⇒ caƟ on. Some use the term 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 (HUD) set naƟ onal standards that nearly every manufactured home must meet. ThereaŌ er, factory-built homes were called manufactured homes and are engineered and constructed in accordance with the 1976 federal code administered by HUD.


Manufactured homes come in all shapes and sizes. They may be single- or mulƟ - secƟ oned and are available in various sizes and ⇓ oor plan con⇒ guraƟ ons. There are many diī erences between manufactured homes built before the U.S. HUD Code took eī ect in 1976 and those built aŌ erward. One of the major


diī erences is energy eĸ ciency. Those built before federal standards were put in place were generally not as energy eĸ cient as later models, even though thermal standards were changed in 1994. And while your manufactured home may have been built to the energy standards of the Ɵ me, signi⇒ cant progress has been made over the past decades with high-eĸ ciency mechanical equipment, windows, insulaƟ on, siding and roo⇒ ng materials.


In short, whether your home is less than ⇒ ve years old or more than 50, most homes can bene⇒ t from energy eĸ ciency measures simply due to wear and tear. Sunlight, seasonal temperature changes and wind can increase air leakage. Doors and windows may not close Ɵ ghtly and duct work can spring leaks, wasƟ ng cooling and heaƟ ng energy.


If your home was built before 1976, the Department of Energy recommends the following steps to improve your manufactured home energy eĸ ciency:


1. Install energy-eĸ cient windows and doors


home for improved energy efficiency By Anne Prince, NRECA


2. Replace insulaƟ on in the belly


3. Make general repairs (seal boƩ om board, caulk windows, doors, ducts, etc.)


4. Add insulaƟ on to your walls 5. Install or seal belly wrap


6. Add insulaƟ on to your roof or install a roof cap.


In addiƟ on to the measures listed above, consider caulking and weatherstripping windows and doors, parƟ cularly if you are not able to replace them with more energy-eĸ cient ones. Properly seal any openings around ducts and plumbing ⇒ xtures. Replace any incandescent light bulbs with LEDs – both indoors and outside. Reduce “phantom” loads by unplugging electronic devices such as computers, printers and gaming systems when not in use. If you are planning to move to a new manufactured home, look for the Energy Star rated model.


For more informaƟ on about energy


eĸ ciency, visit our website at www.neelectric.com.


6 - NE Connection


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