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Production

9: Eliminating Leaks in the Walls, Floor and Ceiling

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Air leaks in your mobile home make your AC or heater work harder.

Air leaks in your mobile home make your AC or heater work harder.

Air leaking through the walls, floors, and ceilings of your manufactured home can have a significant impact on your heating and cooling bills, as well as your comfort. It can also contribute to moisture-related problems. While windows and doors are common sources of air leaks, more important leakage sites are often in less visible places.

Following these tips will reduce the unwanted exchange of warm and cold air through your mobile home’s walls, floor, and ceiling, which will in turn result in lower heating and cooling bills. It will also make your manufactured home a lot more comfortable by reducing drafts.

August 12, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Production

8: Improve Window Performance

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Save energy with storm windows in your manufactured home.

Save energy with storm windows in your manufactured home.

In manufactured homes, Storm windows can be installed over existing windows to improve their insulation value and dramatically reduce air leakage and drafts. Separate, removable storm windows can be installed in seasons when heating or cooling is typically necessary. Storm windows can be removed during more temperate seasons or if windows need to be operable for ventilation. Storm windows are most needed in cold climates, and less important in warmer regions. Triple-track storm windows, mounted outside the primary windows, open and close easily and provide screens, but they are quite expensive and generally must be installed by professionals. Interior storm windows have been found to work best for manufactured homes, and only these will be addressed here.

Not all storm windows will work on manufactured homes because of the way windows are installed. Be sure you select windows suitable for your home. Following these tips will reduce the cost of heating your home and make it more comfortable during the coldest times of the year.

Even though storm windows add little to the insulating performance of single-glazed windows (that are in good condition,) field studies have found that they can help to reduce air movement into and out of existing windows. Therefore, they help reduce heating and cooling costs.

Storm windows are available for most types of windows. They can be installed on the interior or exterior of the primary window. They range from the inexpensive plastic sheets or films designed for one heating season, to triple-track glass units with low-emissivity coatings that offer many years of use. Mid-priced storm windows may use glass, plastic panels, or special plastic sheets that have specific optical qualities. Those made of polycarbonate plastic or laminated glass also offer a high degree of resistance to breaking during storms and/or from intruders.

August 12, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Production

7: Reduce Solar Heat

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Reduce solar heat in your mobile home

Reduce solar heat in your mobile home.

Sunlight coming in through the windows in your manufactured home is a major contributor to cooling bills in many areas of the country. Trees and other foliage can be very effective in shading a manufactured home, but there are other relatively simple options available to reduce the heat while maintaining views. Blocking sunlight has other benefits, including less fading of furniture and carpets, more comfortable temperatures in rooms with large windows, and less glare.

According to an article  Bob Vila’s website, there are several to reduce solar heat. Shades or blinds will block sunlight and the heat from entering windows. Another method to block solar heat is by way of coatings and films on the window glass.

The following are the percentages of the radiant energy that different types of internal shading devices transmit, reflect, or absorb:

  • Roller Shades: up to 25%, 15-80%, 20-65%
  • Vertical Blinds: 0%, 23%, 77%
  • Venetian Blinds: 5%, 40-60%, 35-55%

August 12, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Production

6: Improve Water Heater Performance

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Lower energy costs in your manufactured home with an efficient water heater.

Lower energy costs in your manufactured home with an efficient water heater.

Most manufactured homes have conventional storage-tank water heaters located in closets. Older manufactured homes sometimes have smaller water heaters in kitchen cabinets instead. Electric and gas-fired water heaters are the most common.

Water heating accounts for about 15% of energy costs in a typical manufactured home. Improving the energy efficiency of the water heater can save a significant amount of money over the water heater’s lifetime.

August 11, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Production

4: Improve Lighting Efficiency

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Lighting Efficeincy in mobile homes

Lighting Efficeincy in mobile homes

Lighting is responsible for about 12% of the energy used in a typical American manufactured home.

Nearly every manufactured home can benefit from improved lighting efficiency. No matter the type of lighting in your home, there are opportunities to lower your monthly energy costs by reducing your electricity use. You can also improve the quality of light at the same time.

August 11, 2009 · Tagged with , , ,

General Info, Production

3: Eliminate Leaks in Ducts

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Leaky Ducts in a Manufactured Home make the AC or heater work overtime.

Leaky Ducts in a Manufactured Home make the AC or heater work overtime.

Most manufactured homes have forced-air heating systems. Air from the home is forced through the furnace, where it is warmed by a hot metal heat exchanger or electric heating coils. The warm air is then blown through a system of ducts, and out into each room through registers. In most mobile homes with central air conditioning, the same ducts are used for delivering chilled air during the summer.

The ducts in manufactured homes are commonly in the floor or in hotter climates they may be in the ceiling. Typically, each section of a manufactured home has a main trunk duct running its length. Multi-section mobile homes (such as double-wide units) usually have crossover ducts that connect the main trunk ducts. With ceiling-duct systems, the crossover is in the attic and usually inaccessible.  In floor-duct systems, the crossover is beneath the home and accessible from the crawlspace.

Leaky ducts are common in older manufactured homes and can dramatically increase heating and cooling bills. It is not uncommon for an older duct system to lose 20% of the heated or chilled air to the outside. If your annual heating and cooling bill is $2,000 and your ducts are leaky, you could be spending $400 every year to heat and cool the outdoors.

Compared to other energy upgrade measures in a typical manufactured home, sealing the ductwork has one of the largest payoffs relative to its cost. You’ll save on your heating and cooling bills, enjoy increased comfort, and reduce the risk of moisture problems.

August 11, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

General Info, Production

2: Improve Cooling System Performance

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How to save energy on your Manufactured Home Cooling system

How to save energy on your Manufactured Home Cooling system

There are two varied categories of air conditioners: individual room units (the window-mounted kind), and central systems. Central air conditioners can be categorized into systems which have the compressor located outdoors, while the evaporator is inside the home; and packaged systems, in which the whole unit sits outside with ducts carrying air to and from the house. In either type of central system, chilled air is blown through ducts (located either under the floor or in the attic), and into the living space through registers or grates (see diagrams).

An efficiently operating cooling system in a manufactured home is critical to decreased energy use and increased comfort, particularly in warm climates. A well-maintained air conditioning system will use 15% to 40% less energy than a neglected one. There are several components in mobile home cooling systems that need to be properly maintained. Following the instruction manual’s maintenance schedule will extend the life of your cooling system, and keep it running smoothly and efficiently, which will save you money.

August 10, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Finance and Refinance, Laws & News, Production, Uncategorized

Another One Bites the Dust

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According to a recent LA Times article, Green prefab architecture firm Michelle Kaufmann Designs is closing it’s doors.

“Kaufmann, who worked for Frank Gehry and Michael Graves early in her career, was a pioneer in the so-called modern prefab movement of recent years. She was also one of the first architects to make a persuasive case that prefab design, which reduces construction waste and damage to building sites, among other benefits, was in a number of ways synonymous with sustainability.”

“Kaufmann’s own efforts, she said, were undermined by the economy’s rise and its fall. During the last few years of the housing boom, as she was starting out, many factories were so busy making money with conventional prefab construction that they saw no reason to experiment with more innovative designs. As the economy has soured, many of those same factories have gone out of business entirely. And lenders, who during the boom looked for excuses to approve even the most exotic mortgages, have taken on the kind of conservatism that formerly marked prefab builders.”

Although lending on mobile homes, manufactured homes and pre fab homes has tightened up, financing is still easily available to qualified home buyers and home owners. Now more than ever, it’s important to have a trustworthy, licensed lender, with a great reputation, like CAMHF, on hand.

May 28, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

General Info

Blue Sky Homes builds an All Steel Pre Fab Home

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Blue Sky Homes, LLC, has developed a stunning prototype project.

The Jetson Green blog reports “The goal of the prototype home was to test out the Blue Sky Homes’ Building System, which consists of light-guage steel framing, factory fabrication, on-site assembly, flexible design, and high sustainability.  The design exceeds Title 24 energy requirements by 15%, and green elements include bamboo and FSC-certified cabinetry, solar PV, solar hot water panels, grey water system, low-VOC paints, high-performance double-E windows and doors, Energy Star appliances, efficient STEPs (steel thermal efficiency panels), and abundant natural light.”

Digging deeper into this prototype, we discovered that Blue Sky has put together a slideshow, showing 5 days of the building process for their all steel prototype.

Check out the slide show Here or the Time Lapse Video Here

The finished product:

Not Too Shabby!

For more info, visit Blue Sky Homes website.

May 19, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Finance and Refinance, General Info, Laws & News, Production

The iHouse

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Talk about buzz!

In the Manufactured Home Industry, there has been much talk recently surrounding the iHouse, manufactured by Clayton Homes. Clayton Homes has dedicated a website, ClaytonIhouse.com, to showcase their newest, eco-friendly, pocket-book pleasing homes.

From Mnn.com, ”The Clayton i-house is available is in two sizes at two different price points: The 723 square-foot, one bed/one bath i-house I starts at $74,900. The 1,023 square-foot, two bed/one bath i-house II starts at $93,000. Both homes can be configured in at least seven different ways and include eco-friendly and energy-saving features like low-e windows, dual-flush toilets, butterfly style rainwater-collecting roofs, tight insulation, zero-VOC paint, and more. Not included are optional bells and whistles like solar panels, bamboo flooring, etc. and the cost of shipping the prefabricated home to the placement site. ”

These purchase prices may yield monthly mortgage payments as low as $575 – $700!*

Right now, these small sized, economically made homes are of increasing consumer interest. In a less than stable mortgage market, the trends towards purchasing a reasonably sized home with a low-moderate sized mobile home mortagage couldn’t be more appealing to consumers, especially with homes this gorgeous & ec0-friendly.

livingroom, model 1

kitchen, model 1

*O.A.C, inquire for more details at (800) 882-1999 or visit http://www.camhf.com/

May 5, 2009 · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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