Energy Use in Mobile Homes

The document identifies approximately 2 million mobile homes built before 1976 as the "worst housing stock" in the U.S., noting they are energy-inefficient and often house low-income, elderly, or disabled residents. It highlights that these structures are often ineligible for traditional weatherization programs and proposes the Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 to provide rebates for ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The text details the differences between mobile, manufactured, and modular homes, and provides demographic data on residents of pre-1980 manufactured housing.

• Approximately 2 million mobile homes produced before 1976 remain in use across all 50 U.S. states, with the highest concentrations in the South (about 1 million units) and the West (about 750,000 units). These homes are described as "energy sieves" and are often inhabited by people near the poverty level.
• Manufactured homes built before 1980 are significantly less energy efficient than other housing types, consuming an average of 84,316 BTUs per square foot, which is 53 percent more than all other home types. Because of their poor condition, traditional energy conservation and the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program are generally not applicable.
• The Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 (H.R. 1749/S. 1320) proposes grants for state agencies to offer rebates up to $7,500 to low-income owners of pre-1976 mobile homes to purchase ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes that are at least 15 percent more efficient than minimum codes.
• Demographic data shows that 55 percent of households in manufactured homes built before 1980 have incomes below 150% of the poverty level. In Tennessee, 91 percent of households in pre-1980 manufactured housing have incomes below the national median, while Alaska has the lowest such percentage at 59 percent.
• ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes must be 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the minimum energy code, though they are often 20 to 30 percent more efficient. They achieve this through effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances.

APA

Vaughan, E., & Patterson, O. (2009). Energy Use in Mobile Homes. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/062509_mobile_factsheet.pdf

Chicago

Vaughan, Ellen, and Olivia Patterson. Energy Use in Mobile Homes. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2009. https://www.eesi.org/files/062509_mobile_factsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vaughan |first1=Ellen |last2=Patterson |first2=Olivia |title=Energy Use in Mobile Homes |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=June 2009 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/062509_mobile_factsheet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vaughan2009energy, author = {Vaughan, Ellen and Patterson, Olivia}, title = {{Energy Use in Mobile Homes}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/062509_mobile_factsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }