Energy and Air Infiltration Monitoring of Manufactured Homes in Cold Dry Climates

Single- and double-section manufactured homes were instrumented in 2001-2003 to measure continuous energy usage and air infiltration with respect to the environmental conditions of a windy cold dry climate. The test site near Arlington, Wyoming, USA is ideal for testing the energy (and structural) performance of manufactured housing due to the naturally occurring high winds (in excess of 35 m/s annually) and temperature extremes (+35 to -35C). Tests included tracer gas monitoring, pressurized leakage tests, and infrared (IR) video scans. Extensive arrays of instrumentation for calculating thermal efficiency of the homes were designed and installed. Thermocouple arrays were placed to measure vertical temperature profiles in various locations in the homes. At each location, the air temperature in the crawl space, belly pan, near-floor, room center, ceiling, and in the attic were monitored. Additional temperature measurements were located at the furnace thermostat and return air plenum, heater vents, combustion air inlet, and flue gas exit. Electrical power consumption and propane flow complete the measurements required for monitoring thermal efficiency. Measurements indicate that a transpired air solar heater provides up to 40% of the energy required to heat the double-section home. The tracer gas concentration decay measurement system provided useful data showing a strong correlation of the air infiltration rate with ambient wind speed. These data were used in conjunction with EnergyPlus software to simulate the thermal performance of the double-section home.