Manufactured Home Renewable Energy Applications

You can use renewable energy to provide electricity, heating, and cooling for your manufactured home. Renewable energy systems not only reduce energy costs, but they also help the environment.

You might consider the following:

Geothermal heat pump

A geothermal heat pump (GHP) can provide a manufactured home with both space heating and cooling. GHPs are most cost effective to install at the same time a manufactured home is installed. The systems can’t be moved, so GHPs only work for permanently sited manufactured homes.
Passive solar design

Adding a sunspace can help heat your manufactured home. Site orientation, landscaping, and shading devices are other important elements to consider for reducing energy consumption.
Solar water heating system

Solar water heating for manufactured homes is much more limited than for site-built houses. The lightweight construction of some manufactured homes limits roof support for heavy solar collectors. However, you can use lightweight roof-mounted air collectors for water heating, or you can install the heavier liquid-type solar collectors on the ground. Consequently, these systems are best suited for manufactured homes that are seldom moved.
Small solar electric system

Unlike solar water heating systems, solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) systems are light and can be installed on the roof of a manufactured home. Actually, in 1994, one manufacturer began to build PV-integrated modular homes.
Small wind electric system

If your manufactured home is or will be located in a rural area on at least one acre of land, you can use a small wind turbine to generate electricity.
Microhydropower system

If your manufactured home is or will be located where you have access to flowing water, you might be able to use a microhydropower system to generate electricity. While you can move a microhydropower system, you can't take the hydropower resource with you. Therefore, a microhydropower system is best suited for permanently sited manufactured homes.