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Title: Ventilation and moisture in new energy-efficient manufactured homes

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5754450

In order to establish a database of infiltration and ventilation characteristics in current practice manufactured housing, a multiyear field testing program was undertaken by the Bonneville Administration beginning in the mid-1980s. This program was later expanded to include 20 homes that had been upgraded to meet the regional Model Conversion Standards (MCS) for energy efficiency. The results from these initial studies indicates that significant improvement in shell tightness are possible. In fact, these new manufactured homes were also tighter than site-built homes constructed during the same time period that were tested as part of the Northwest Residential Infiltration Survey (NORIS). During the 1989--1990 heating season, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the Office of Energy Resources, Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville), measured the ventilation characteristics in 139 newly constructed energy-efficient manufactured homes and a sample of 35 current practice manufactured homes not built to the energy efficient standards. The new energy- efficient homes were built to the MCS. This phase of the program was part of Bonneville's Residential Construction Demonstration Program (RCDP). A standard blower door test was used to estimate shell leakiness, and a passive perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) technique was used to estimate overall air exchange rates. In addition, one-time measurements of the designated whole-house exhaust system flow rate was taken. An occupant and structure survey was conducted at the time of the testing to obtain information on house characteristics, daily occupant activities and ventilation system operation. The homes were located in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. This paper summarizes the infiltration/ventilation characteristics in this sample of new and energy-efficient manufactured homes built and situated in the Pacific Northwest. 13 refs., 6 tabs.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
5754450
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-19434; CONF-910659-25; ON: DE91013786
Resource Relation:
Conference: 84. annual meeting and exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), Vancouver (Canada), 16-21 Jun 1991
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English