Manufactured homes are largely prefabricated in a factory and placed on a piece of land, often making them ideal for those on limited budgets. To continue those savings, you can take steps to make your manufactured home more energy-efficient, saving you money and helping the environment.
8 Ways to Make Your Manufactured Home Energy-Efficient
Making small changes throughout your home can lead to great financial benefits while increasing your energy efficiency. Here are some of the things you can do to make your manufactured home more energy-efficient:
1. Add Insulation to a Manufactured Home
Knowing how to insulate a manufactured home is key to increasing its energy efficiency. One area of your home that is often overlooked when it comes to insulation is underneath the crawl space. That and the walls are two places to focus your insulation efforts. You can also help your home’s insulation by ensuring the weatherstripping and siding are updated and working properly.
Insulation is essential because heat flows from areas that are warm to areas that are cooler. This is especially important in the winter, when the outside of your home is cooler than the inside. If your home isn’t properly insulated, you will lose a lot of the heat being pumped into your house to the outdoors. This loss makes your system work harder throughout the year. When your home is properly insulated, you save money and increase the energy efficiency of your home.
2. Replace Your Windows
Ensuring your windows are up to date will have the same effect as updating your insulation. Less heat and air will be getting out of your house, and your heating and cooling systems will not need to work as hard to make your house the right temperature. Your windows are responsible for at least a quarter of heating and cooling losses, so updated or quality windows can help keep these energy costs down.
If you are able to, choosing windows with insulated vinyl frames will provide your manufactured home with the most energy efficiency. They offer UV protection and moisture resistance and do not require maintenance. Having your windows insulated will further increase your energy efficiency.
3. Replace Outside Doors
Doors that lead to the outdoors should be replaced if you are looking to increase your manufactured home’s efficiency. New doors will insulate better, especially if you consider the energy performance rating of the one you choose. Doors with magnetic strips, improved core materials, and multiple glass panes are among the most energy-efficient doors. Doors made with insulated steel or fiberglass will also help increase energy efficiency. Any windows on the door should also be double-glazed.
4. Switch Your Lighting
Save energy by switching the bulbs in your home to energy-efficient ones. LEDs use three-quarters the energy of incandescent lights, and they can last 25 times longer.
Installing dimmers, timers, or sensors to your lights can also reduce the amount of time your home is being lit unnecessarily, which will save energy.
No matter what kind of lighting you have, using natural light throughout the day is a very simple and practical way to conserve energy in your home. Open up your curtains and switch off your lamps when it’s bright enough outside.
5. Upgrade Appliances
The appliances around your house can use a lot of energy if they are not up to date. Newer appliance models can significantly decrease the cost of running your home. These new models will last longer and save you money during their lifetime. Manufactured homes typically come with appliances, so if you’re purchasing one, look into possible upgrades. If you’ve had your manufactured home for a while, look into getting new appliances.
6. Switch to Solar
Making the switch from electrical power to solar power will increase your home’s energy efficiency, save you money, increase your home’s value, and help protect the environment. Solar energy is a renewable energy source that never runs out so long as the sun is in the sky. If you have solar battery storage, you won’t lose power in the event of a power outage due to a storm or fallen tree.
Solar is a great alternative energy source, no matter where you live. The annual U.S. electricity demand is equal to just one hour of noontime sun being used for solar energy. Even if it isn’t particularly sunny where you live, you can still experience cost savings by switching to solar or using it in combination with other power sources.
7. Install Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps provide a way to supply your manufactured home with hot water, heat it, and cool it cost-efficiently. Rather than using energy to create a temperature, heat pumps are able to use the earth’s constant temperature.
In the winter, the ground is warmer than the air temperature, and in the summer, the ground temperature is lower than the air’s. A geothermal pump uses a ground heat exchanger to bring those favorable temperatures into your home.
8. Service Your HVAC
Preventive maintenance is an essential part of making sure your HVAC system is not using an unnecessary amount of energy. You can take care of your HVAC or have a professional come and service it for you. A combination of the two methods is the most effective way to keep your HVAC running at its best.
When maintaining your HVAC yourself, be sure to clean or replace the furnace filters and vacuum out the vent ducts so air can flow freely and cleanly through the system. When you pull up the vent cover, look for any sort of buildup or debris and remove it.
You can also adjust the temperature settings on your HVAC to save on energy costs. Try to set your thermostat close to the temperature outside instead of having it drastically cooler or warmer. Even changing the thermostat temperature by 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day is enough to save you 10% on your energy costs for the year.
Learn More About Manufactured Home Loans From CIS Home Loans
Manufactured homes give you the ability to have a home of your own with more flexibility and lower costs than a traditional home. At CIS Home Loans, we can help you get a loan for your manufactured home with ease. We want homeownership to be accessible to everyone, which is why we offer a simple application process.
Choose between two types of manufactured home loans. The Home Only loan allows you to purchase a manufactured home if you do not own your land. A Land in Lieu loan helps you find the right manufactured home for the property you already own.
If you are ready to take the next step in making your home ownership dreams come true, apply for a loan today. We are excited to work with you and turn your dreams into reality.