Clayton Homes, the largest mobile home manufacturer in the U.S. announced in May that they are moving towards a more more sustainable home, greatly reducing the amount of energy required to power a home.
The standard they are using for the important change is the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home. This is based on the idea that the home should be so energy efficient that renewable sources of power, such as solar panels, could completely cover the energy needs of the home.
There are many benefits of purchasing a Clayton E-home:
- Low-E windows
- LED lighting
- Rheem hybrid heat pump water heater.
- Increased insulation
- Energy Star appliances
- Heat pump HVAC system
While all of these features deserve attention and will help to reduce energy consumption, we are going to focus on the HVAC system.
What is a Heat Pump System?
In HVAC, a heat pump system refers to how the home is heated. There is no real difference between a heat pump and a straight cool air conditioner when it’s in cooling mode, but there is a noticeable difference when heating a home.
There are three common types of heating for mobile homes. Electric, gas and heat pump.
Electric heat is by far the most expensive type of heating. It is much more expensive to heat a home than to cool it if you have an electric heater. Electric heaters use heating elements, which heat through electrical resistance and are not very efficient.
Gas is another option. While less common in mobile homes, you can get a mobile home with gas appliance if you want it. Gas heaters use combustion as the means of heating a home instead of electric heating elements.
Heat pumps, the third option, are different in that they use the condenser to heat the home. Believe it or not, using the condenser to heat the home uses substantially less energy than using electric heating elements.
Another benefit that we are already seeing from the Clayton E-homes is that the cooling loads of the home are lower, which means you can use a smaller air conditioning system and still cool the home. This is yet another way the homeowner will save money in the long run.
What does this mean for potential homeowners?
Through this Zero Energy Ready Home program, there is a potential $150 billion in energy savings. While this is a cumulative number over time, the fact is that this could make a real difference in energy costs nation wide, especially if other manufacturers and builders get on board.
When you are looking to purchase your next mobile home, ask about the potential energy saving options that the manufacturer can offer. While Clayton is the first manufacturer to leap into the energy sustainability space in the mobile home. We expect other manufacturers to follow suit in the near future.
If you are purchasing a Clayton home, this means that you can expect your electricity bill to be reduced, and your future home value should be protected as well.