A UTILITY BILL STUDY OF MOBILE HOME WEATHERIZATION SAVINGS

This study analyzes utility bill data for 36 mobile homes retrofitted by Colorado Division of Housing Weatherization Assistance Program according to criteria developed specifically for mobile homes by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The post-retrofit energy savings were determined using PRISM, a regression method that provides weather normalization. The study indicated a mean annual reduction in total natural gas consumption of approximately 25% and a mean reduction in heating fuel usage of about 31%. These reductions far exceeded US national average weatherization savings for both mobile homes and site-constructed homes while remaining within weatherization program cost guidelines. These real-world savings were about 70% of what had been expected based on experiments conducted previously at NREL within a controlled environment.