April 7, 2008

New ENERGY STAR^® Protocol
for Modular Homes

Under an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Manufactured Housing Research Alliance (MHRA) has developed a process, geared specifically to the needs of modular home builders, for building homes that earn the ENERGY STAR label. The new protocol requires energy performance equivalent to ENERGY STAR site built homes but with compliance procedures better suited to factory construction.

The effort was undertaken at the request of modular builders that found the current compliance procedures, developed primarily for site builders, expensive and not factory friendly. In developing the new protocol, MHRA worked closely with modular builders, experts in the energy field and other ENERGY STAR program stakeholders.

MHRA will be coordinating a series of pilot developments using the new protocol. As part of the pilots, MHRA staff will assist modular companies and their builders/dealers in qualifying their homes for the ENERGY STAR label. Approximately five plants will be selected to participate based on geographical distribution, product diversity and other factors.

Manufacturers and builders interested in participating should contact Jordan Dentz at jdentz@research-alliance.org by April 15, 2008. A description of the alternative compliance process is available here.

ENERGY STAR® for
Manufactured Homes Program Update

Across the nation, 77 plants are now actively building ENERGY STAR® homes.

MHRA welcomes these plants to the ENERGY STAR® for Manufactured Homes program:

• Solitaire Homes, Madill, OK
• Deming Manufactured Homes, Deming, NM
• Lexington Homes, Lexington, MS
• Deer Valley Homebuilders, Guin, AL
• Hallmark-Southwest, Loma Linda, CA
• Silvercrest Western Homes, Corona, CA

These plants have recently been qualified to produce ENERGY STAR manufactured homes. For a complete list of plants offering ENERGY STAR homes, click here.

For questions about the ENERGY STAR for Manufactured Homes program, please contact Gwynne Koch at gkoch@research-alliance.org.

Copyright 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of MHRA. For comments or questions related to MHRA ENERGY STAR Update, contact Gwynne Koch via e-mail at gkoch@research-alliance.org.