Rep. Ellison Introduces Bill to Replace Outdated Mobile Homes

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced The Energy Efficient Manufactured Homes Act 0f 2015 (H.R. 3275) this week, which will enable economically vulnerable families live in safe, affordable and energy-efficient homes.

"There are as many as two million families who live in outdated energy-inefficient manufactured homes built more than two decades ago," said Rep. Keith Ellison. "Unfortunately, the price of a new energy efficient manufactured home is out-of-reach for too many people already struggling to make ends meet. My bill enables them to upgrade to a new ENERGY STAR manufactured home thus improving their health, housing and financial stability."

"As an organization active with residents and industry leaders of manufactured housing for the last twelve years, Northcountry Cooperative Foundation believes in seeing the potential of prefabricated housing more effectively realized with today's energy-efficient inventory. This legislation, in committing resources for the replacement of older homes with today's EnergyStar homes, better enables residents to provide for their families, and build their assets for the long-run. In a word, it is 'smart' public policy," Warren Kramer, Executive Director of Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF), a nonprofit that assists affordable housing cooperatives, said.

The Energy Efficient and Manufactured Home Act of 2015 creates a new program to provide these families the ability to replace their outdated home with a new Energy Star manufactured home. It creates a new $50 million a year program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill provides grants or loans to decommission and replace these homes with newer, Energy Star approved manufactured or modular homes. The program would be administered by state housing agencies, non-profits, and local governments to offer affordable, energy-efficient manufactured and modular housing options to millions of Americans.

This bill builds on the success of a national mobile home network. Over the last decade, the effort, called the Next Step Network has helped more than 145 families nation-wide. Families have saved almost $4 million in energy savings, reduced mortgage interest by $13 million and cut aggregate carbon and Greenhouse gas emissions by 10,000 tons. With a federal investment, we can help more families find affordable, energy efficient living options in manufactured and modular housing.

An earlier version of this bill, Energy-Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2010 (H. R. 1749) was introduced in the 111th Congress. It passed the House as part of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) but did not pass the Senate.

The Energy Efficient and Manufactured Home Act of 2015 is supported by the Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) and National Manufactured Home Owners Association (NMHOA).

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