Validation of the Manufactured Home Energy Audit (MHEA)
- ORNL
The Manufactured Home Energy Audit (MHEA) is an energy audit tool designed specifically to identify recommended weatherization measures for mobile homes as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Weatherization Assistance Program. A field validation of MHEA was performed using billing/delivery data collected on 86 mobile homes heated primarily by electricity, natural gas, or propane to assess the audit's accuracy and the validity of its recommendations. The validation found that MHEA overpredicts the annual space-heating energy savings of weatherization measures to be installed in mobile homes, which leads to low realization rates, primarily because of its large overprediction of annual pre-weatherization space-heating energy consumption. However, MHEA's annual space-heating energy savings estimates and realization rates can be improved considerably using MHEA's built-in billing adjustment feature. In order to improve the accuracy of MHEA's annual space-heating energy savings estimates and realization rate, the cause of MHEA's overprediction of annual pre-weatherization space-heating energy consumption needs to be further investigated and corrected. Although MHEA's billing adjustment feature improved MHEA's annual space-heating energy savings estimates, alternative methods of making the correction that may provide improved performance should be investigated. In the interim period before permanent improvements to MHEA can be made, the following recommendations should be followed: (a) do not enter into MHEA insulation thicknesses of 1 in. or less and especially zero (0 in.) unless such low levels have been verified through visual inspection of several parts of the envelope area in question; (b) use MHEA's billing adjustment feature to develop a list of recommended measures based on adjusted energy savings if possible, especially in mobile homes that have several major energy deficiencies; and (c) do not use MHEA's "evaluate duct sealing" option at this time (although certainly seal all duct leaks and use diagnostics as appropriate to find leakage sites and quantify improvements).
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 931066
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-2007/189; WI0702000; CEWI010; ORNL/CON-501; TRN: US200813%%396
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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