Pursuit's Take
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the nation’s approximately 130 million housing units account for about 23 percent of total energy consumption in the United States. Approximately 2 million of these housing units are manufactured homes (i.e., mobile homes) that were built prior to 1976, when new standards for energy efficient construction became effective. These older manufactured homes are generally considered to have some of the poorest energy efficiency of all housing units.
Questions have been raised about whether improving the energy efficiency of older manufactured homes or replacing them with newer, more energy-efficient models would save the federal government money by reducing LIHEAP costs. A portion of LIHEAP funds can be used to improve the energy efficiency of these homes but, in many cases, because of the ways these homes were built and their sometimes poor condition, improving their energy efficiency cannot be accomplished cost effectively. LIHEAP funds are statutorily prohibited from being used for new construction, which includes replacing existing homes.
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