NEEM News, Factory Edition: ENERGY STAR Updates and More
Federal Rulemaking Underway to Increase Manufactured Home Energy Efficiency
The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed new energy efficiency requirements for manufactured homes that would prompt big changes to the ENERGY STAR program. MHI has issued a counter-proposal that would result in much less change for the industry, but it might be a few months before we know what might finally make it into the HUD standards. We have been meeting with EPA staff to advocate for the continued ability to issue full ENERGY STAR certification to homes as they leave the factory. Most other factories around the country have to confirm that homes get heat pumps installed on site before homes can be certified as ENERGY STAR, which limits program participation. We continue to follow the federal rulemaking and will keep encouraging the EPA to make the next iteration of ENERGY STAR workable for factories and the NEEM program. Stay tuned for updates as we learn more.
Fourth Manufacturer Offers NEEM+ Option
Albany’s Clayton plant that produces Golden West and Karsten homes has joined KIT Custom HomeBuilders, Palm Harbor Homes and Skyline Homes in offering NEEM+ as an option. Last year NEEM+ accounted for 5 percent of all NEEM home certifications, and it continues to grow. Local jurisdictions in Oregon and Washington may require manufactured homes to have a building envelope that is “thermally equivalent” to a site-built home, and NEEM+ can demonstrate that equivalence.
Incentives for Display Homes
The region’s electric utilities renewed their offer of $2,000 to help dealers upgrade new display homes to include the ENERGY STAR with NEEM+ option. Dealers who have taken advantage of this opportunity in the past two years can do so again. This offer is good for up to two more NEEM+ homes per retailer. Some local utility programs also have cooperative advertising programs that can fund adding the ENERGY STAR option to display homes—and, the funds can be combined! All the factories are able get qualified by the NEEM program to build NEEM+. So, dealers, ask your factories about NEEM+. Check out this NEEM News item for more information. Don’t wait, funding is limited.
Reimagining HVAC for Manufactured Homes
The NEEM Program is part of a research team funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to find ways to improve the HVAC systems in manufactured homes. Last year we studied several potential areas for improvement and received funding to proceed with developing four innovations this year. We will be testing the following:
1. Simplified duct and building tightness testing to allow set-up crews, service technicians and inspectors to quickly screen for significant air leakage issues. We are testing an equipment package that costs about $800, is the size of a dish pan (so it should be able to fit in a crowded service truck), and testing can be completed in under 10 minutes. We are looking for volunteers to receive a set of tools and try out the testing, so contact the NEEM program if you are interested.
2. Partial factory installation of energy-efficient variable speed heat pumps to simplify system installation in the field and/or deliver extremely quiet operation and more even temperatures throughout homes. One system we are looking to test promises straightforward installation that could be completed by set-up crews without HVAC licensing. The whole system could ship with the home and get completed on site—without needing an HVAC contractor. We are looking for volunteers to receive free equipment and work with us on demo projects.
3. Improved duct systems. We will be taking lessons learned here in the northwest and taking them elsewhere in the country, namely, duct testing in the factory and using metal elbows at crossover duct take-offs. We also will explore with duct manufacturers whether an R-16 flexible crossover duct can be made cost effectively.
4. Traditional under-floor crossover duct versus in-floor crossovers. Last year we heard a lot of opinions about which duct crossover system is better as we did industry outreach, but we didn’t find much actual data. We will be testing homes with each type of crossover system to see if we find that one works better than the other for moving air throughout the home. We will be testing out a new and simple way of measuring register airflow using the same equipment mentioned above. This will help us give guidance to home builders.
Check out the research project’s website.
Visit neemhomes.com to contact us for more information.