ET25SWE0007 - Field Demonstration of Mobile Home Electrification

There are 500,000 mobile and manufactured housing (MMH) units in California [1]. Most of these units are old and inefficient, estimated to consume 40% more energy than single-family homes [2]. To meet California’s aggressive decarbonization and electrification goals, it is critical to investigate options to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions of MMHs. However, MMH units face significant challenges and barriers. The recently completed CalNEXT study [2] found retrofitting older mobile homes is particularly challenging due to their poor insulation, hard-to-access ductwork, old electrical wiring, small closet sizes, small and cluttered lots, and other structural problems. In addition, many mobile home parks are limited to 100-amp service, making it difficult to pursue electrification. Thus, it was found more cost effective and efficient to replace existing mobile homes with new and efficient manufactured housing. 

In the proposed study, the electrification of a mobile home will be demonstrated in a mobile home park in Davis, CA. A mobile home built in the 1970s was recently replaced with a new all-electric, net-zero ready, highly efficient manufactured housing unit. The housing unit is DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) certified, solar-ready, and equipped with various energy efficient equipment, including LED lighting, high-performance windows, heat pumps, smart thermostat, and ENERGY STAR rated kitchen equipment and appliances. Through the demonstration, the performance of the all-electric MMH unit will be compared to an existing mobile home from the 1970s, and a new energy efficient manufactured housing unit with gas equipment designed for 100-amp service that will also be installed in the same park. The study will also investigate the performance of the all-electric housing unit with and without solar and battery energy storage by measuring the impact of the solar circuit separately. This project will tackle two of the recommended action items from the recent market study: 1) to conduct a field demonstration of panel upgrade alternatives for manufactured housing units that have been converted to 100-amp service, and 2) to incentivize high-efficiency new manufactured homes and incorporate early retirement of inefficient manufactured homes with replacement mobile homes.

[1] 2022 U.S. Census Bureau

[2] Mobile and Manufactured Housing Market Characterization Study 

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