New report proposes combining community solar with the weatherization of manufactured homes

Residents of manufactured homes have some of the lowest incomes and highest energy burdens in the United States, with limited opportunities to make their homes more energy efficient. Community solar offers a new avenue to help them cut utility bills, especially when combined with efficient electrification upgrades.

A new report from Berkeley Lab explores program ideas that bring together community solar with weatherization of manufactured homes (sometimes called “mobile” homes). The report was written in response to a technical assistance request from the Michigan energy office, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), through the US Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP).

While the research is specific to Michigan, it lays out a methodology and recommendations that could apply in any state or territory.

The paper first provides an overview of manufactured home communities in Michigan, with a discussion of demographics and energy issues they face. The average household income for residents of manufactured homes, for example, is $28,115, compared to $75,760 for residents of single family detached homes. About 26% of manufactured homes in the state rely on high-cost propane or electric resistance heaters.

The paper then discusses weatherization opportunities for manufactured homes, opportunities for community solar, and opportunities for combining the two. Conventional energy savings technique like insulation can be difficult for manufactured homes, due to narrow wall cavities and other structural shortcomings. Advances in cold-weather heat pumps make it possible to upgrade the efficiency of space heating and cooling.

The report is intended to help EGLE:

• Identify priority locations for program delivery,
• Set eligibility criteria for communities and households, and
• Make the most of federal and other funding sources.

The paper concludes with recommendations for a program that combines community solar with efficient electrification of manufactured homes to reduce the burden of the largest source of energy expenditure in Michigan, winter heating bills. Specifically, it envisions community solar subscriptions for occupants of manufactured homes that have been converted to high-efficiency cold weather heat pumps. The combination can be managed to alleviate seasonal variations in both solar and heating bills, such as by delivering community solar bill credits in conjunction with winter heating bills.

The report, A Program Design Combining Community Solar and Weatherization for Manufactured Homes in Michigan, is available on the Berkeley Lab website.

This work was supported by the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office under Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.