ET25SWE0016 - Electrification with Power Efficient Technologies

VEIC proposes to research the interplay of and Intelligent Power Management Technologies (IPMTs) with individual power efficient plug loads such as battery integrated appliances (stoves) and 120V appliances (heat pump water heaters, clothes dryers, room heat pumps). Evaluating power efficient plug loads and IPMTs as a system will help identify simple and cost-effective approaches to fully electrifying manufactured homes. This research will emphasize the specific challenges faced by low-income communities residing in manufactured homes, including the affordability of appliances, access to incentives, and lack of awareness. The work will provide insights applicable across housing types to support electrification, but will tailor guidance for with manufactured home residents ensuring an accessible format that is culturally relevant. The guidance will be developed with the support of Ortiz group to integrate the perspective of manufactured home residents, park owners and contractors to address the specific electrification challenges and needs of this hard-to-reach (HTR) market segment,. 

Whole home electrification in California offers significant benefits, including improved indoor air quality, enhanced thermal comfort, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to healthier living environments and California climate goals. Yet, panel and service capacity remain a significant barrier to whole home electrification, especially for manufactured homes. When required, electrical panel and service upsizing is often the most expensive step in electrification retrofits, especially when the full cost of utility infrastructure upsizing is required. Further complicating whole home electrification efforts, most manufactured home lots in California have 100-amp (100A) service or less, and must coordinate with park and utility infrastructure plans, introducing complexity and barriers not encountered by single family homeowners. 

While 200-amp (200A) service is widely considered the minimum electrical service standard for full home electrification, increasing evidence is showing that 100A service should be sufficient for most whole home electrification projects, especially if the right combination of power efficient appliances and IPMTs are used. The smaller square footage of manufactured housing makes these homes a good candidate for innovative approaches to power management. Integrated electrification packages consisting of available or soon to be available power efficient appliances paired with IPMTs can provide a path to accelerate existing manufactured home electrification by overcoming the expense, confusion and time delay of upgrading from 100A to 200A electric service.