The HUD-code for mobile homes (click here) is primarily a “performance" code, rather than a “prescriptive" code, meaning pretty much what it sounds like: instead of specifying what to install and how to install it, the code sets performance standards that give the manufacturer some leeway in how they choose to meet the standard.
The insulation performance standard is a U-value, also referred to as a U-value, which is the overall coefficient of heat transfer through the envelope of the home. The map above shows the U-value requirements for the three thermal zones that HUD has mapped for their standards. A lower U-value number means better insulation....
The problem with these manufactured homes is that leaving out significant insulation is a profit issue. Without mentioning the manufacturer, the amount of insulation is minimal or NON-EXISTENT.
Literally, whether heating or cooling, the DUCT systems that carry the air have to be warmed or heated before the heat will arrive in the living area. That means the manufactured home will become far colder or hotter before the air actually changes the temperature in the living area. It is the most outrageous infraction of energy efficiency I have ever witnessed.
Literally, there are manufactured homes that are colder at night because of the outside temperature and warmer during the day for the same reason and it depends if the sun is shining or not. If during the day it is cloudy, the internal temperature of these homes will be cooler than if there is sunshine. All this temperature change in these homes occurs because the heat or cold hits the aluminum skins of the walls, but, especially the roof. If the sun is shining and the temperature outside is 80 degrees, the interior temperature is more than 80 degrees because the manufactured home becomes an oven. Sure, there is air conditioning, but, the amount of energy it takes to roll back the cost of cooling an oven is ridiculous TO ANY CONSUMER.
The climate crisis is brutal. People have already died from heat or cold-related issues. The people living in these manufactured homes are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures that kill. This is a public health concern and should be readily addressed by HUD to demand highly insulated walls, roofs and floors. Those manufactured homes already in use MUST be viewed as dangerous and potentially insulated to meet modern-day standards to CONSERVE ENERGY and protect those living inside.
The same standard MUST be included in any FEMA trailers purchased by the government as temporary shelters. To leave these people vulnerable to heat and cold when this country can do something about it, is immoral and extremely costly to the climate itself.
