Cityscape: Volume 25 Number 1 | Housing Technology Projects | Factory Complete Heating and Cooling Solutions for Manufactured Homes

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Housing Technology Projects

Volume 25 Number 1

Mark D. Shroder

Michelle P. Matuga

Factory Complete Heating and Cooling Solutions for Manufactured Homes

Emanuel Levy
Jordan Dentz
Yi-Jia Liao
Systems Building Research Alliance

The manufactured housing industry could benefit from plant-installed, commercially competitive, and fully integrated heating and cooling solutions. This study explores two hardware integration and product configuration options that improve home performance and quality. It also explores changes to commercial arrangements, including the equipment distribution, inventory, and servicing necessary to align commercial interests. A production facility in southern Georgia integrated two system options into newly constructed manufactured homes: a packaged unitary system and a ducted mini-split heat pump. The findings demonstrate that both systems can be successfully implemented in the home production facility and operated as intended after transport. The packaged unitary system can be installed without additional work and skills. The ducted mini-split system requires more training and labor to install, but it costs less and has other benefits. By piloting these alternative heating and cooling systems, this study is a stepping stone for manufacturers looking for options to improve energy performance while reducing upfront cost.