“Because of the way manufactured homes are constructed, they usually have about 30 to 50 percent less air leakage than stick-built homes,” Bobby Campbell, director of value engineering for Champion Homes Inc., tells Marketwired and MHProNews. “The University of Michigan did a study a few years ago that tested stick-built homes against manufactured and modular homes and found that the manufactured homes were ‘tighter’ than stick-built homes.”
The Michigan Manufactured Housing Association (MMHA) explains that part of the reason modern manufactured homes may leak less air than conventional construction is because they are built to a special national code that site-built homes are not. Based on manufactured home construction and safety standards set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, different regions of the country fall under thermal categories determined by their climates. Michigan is located in thermal Zone 3, which mandates the strictest heat leakage protection.
MMHA states that in addition to the national and state codes manufactured homes are required to meet, many homeowners are choosing energy efficient features to keep their homes better protected against the cold. Special insulation, high-performance windows and other materials are reducing overall energy costs and use fewer natural resources, which is a perk for many environmentally and budget conscious homeowners. ##
(Photo credits: HUD Code data plate – Colorado.gov)
