Energy saving tips, best practices and news

Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association (WMA) supports energy efficiency as a vital business strategy for manufactured home communities and manufactured homes.

Did you know the average household could cut a third, or even half, of its current energy bill by switching to energy-efficient appliances, equipment and lighting, which use less energy than standard products? Browse the resources below to learn how you can save money, energy and the environment!

Energy Savings

Flex Your Power offers a number of tools and resources to help Residential visitors flex their power at home:

• Information to help you understand Energy Usage at Home and how to Upgrade Your Home for energy efficiency
• Stores that sell energy-saving appliances and products, free Rebates, Incentives & Services offered by your local utility and private organizations
• Product Guides with information about money and energy savings, and operation, maintenance and purchasing tips for more than 40 energy-efficient appliances and products
• A comprehensive Resource Library and hundreds of Energy-Saving Tips

Find California rebates and services to help you save money, energy and water

Cash in on the more than $2 billion in energy efficiency programs available in California. Simply enter your ZIP code in Flex Your Power’s Rebates, Incentives and Services Locator to find programs in your area. There are incentives for tenants, owners and property managers.

Easy Energy Saving Tips for Manufactured Housing

Members of Western Manufactured Housing communities can increase their energy efficiency throughout the community. In addition to making your own home more energy efficient, communities can consider the following tips for their industrial kitchens, clubhouses, street lighting, and landscaping.

• Lighting
• Hot Water
• Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
• Commercial Refrigeration
• Industrial Cooking and Dishwashing Equipment
• Pools and Jacuzzi

Lighting

Lighting is the largest energy consumer in most commercial buildings, usually about 40% of the total energy costs.

• Consider upgrading lighting systems if you currently use incandescent lights or older fluorescent lights (1.5” diameter lamps).
• Install occupancy sensors.
• Regularly clean light fixtures; try to schedule routine janitorial cleaning during daylight hours; be sure staff knows which lights should be left on or off.
• Group relamp* fluorescents to cut costs and maintain proper light levels. This will save time and labor. Fluorescents get dimmer over time and should be replaced after about 10,000 hours of burn time. (*Set up a schedule and replace all lamps on designated dates whether or not they have burned out.)
• Turn off lights when not in use, even if it’s for just a few minutes (no, it does not take more energy to restart them, not even for large banks of lights).
• Trim trees that block natural daylight to windows, or block outdoor lighting fixtures and create shadows. (Keep trees full to shade large buildings and help reduce cooling costs.)

Thanks to the City of Berkeley Housing and Sustainable Development website, http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/sustainable/buildings/energytips.html

Hot Water

• Install low-flow devices on all faucets.
• Set water temperature to 115 degrees F for domestic use. For dishwashers, use a booster.
• Insulate tank and pipes wherever they are exposed.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

• Check operating hours. Install or reprogram setback thermostats to condition space only when needed.
• Maintain the HVAC system. Regular maintenance improves efficiency, comfort and the life of the equipment.
• Minimize use of lighting, particularly incandescent lamps, which increase room temperatures.
• Check for and repair duct leaks (common on roof-top units).
• Insulate ducts
• Install an economizer on air-conditioning systems to take advantage of outside air on mild days.
• Isolate conditioned areas from non-conditioned space. Use insulation. Repair doors, windows, walls, vents and other openings. Weatherstrip doors.
• Use natural ventilation and cooling. Take advantage of the mild climate we live in; shut off the system and open the windows. Have your architect design for operable windows.
• Avoid designs with large un-shaded windows on direct south and western exposures.
• Use trellises with vines or trees to provide shade.
• Use double-paned windows and a Low-E (emissivity) glass to keep heat outside in the summer and inside in the winter. Low-E glass reduces invisible infrared light.
• Avoid designs with large windows on northern exposures.
• Use a light-coloured roofing material to reflect sunlight and heat. This will help keep your building cooler in summer and reduce the demand on air conditioning.
• Use open floor plans in common spaces of your house to avoid non-uniform temperatures.
• Use vents and/ceiling fans to avoid temperature stratification.

Commercial Refrigeration

• Buy energy-efficient refrigerators
• Minimize amount of time doors are kept open.
• Install curtains if doors are open frequently.
• Keep coolers FULL; they maintain temperature better.
• Let hot items cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
• Maintain the system; this will extend the life of the equipment.
• Be sure compressor coils are cleaned and well-ventilated

Industrial Cooking and Dishwashing Equipment

• Maintain appliances regularly; replace them with new energy-saving appliances as needed. Buy ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and
• Cook in the largest volume possible.
• Determine if preheating is absolutely necessary before turning equipment on.
• Bake and roast foods together when possible; load oven to capacity.
• Do not use warming tables as cooking appliances; excessive heat dries out food and wastes energy.
• Turn down/off griddles and burners during slack periods.
• Pre-rinse dishes with cold water before stacking in the dishwasher to save hot water.

Pools and Jacuzzi

Many WMA communities have a pool or jacuzzi. Don't let your wallet take the plunge for these features. Check out these tips on improving efficiency from the H2ouse. http://www.h2ouse.org/index.cfm

• Use a pool cover. It will reduce water loss due to normal evaporation. The cover can also reduce heating bills by preventing night heat loss and will save on chemicals too. Pool covers come in a wide range of types and costs. Consult your pool service company, builder or pool retail store. Make certain that it fits properly. The cover is the number one water and energy conservation device!
• Repair any swimming pool leaks. Even a small leak in either pool equipment or the pool's structure represents a substantial waste. In fact, an inch-a-day leak in a 15-by-30-foot pool can waste approximately 102,000 gallons per year!
• If heated, reduce your pool and spa water temperature. Warmer water evaporates more quickly.
• Shut down unnecessary fountains and waterfalls. The effect of aeration loses a significant amount of water to evaporation.
• Manually clean your filter. You'll do a more thorough job and use less water. The average backwash uses between 250 to 1,000 gallons of water -- without completely cleaning your filter!

Energy-related links

• Flex Your Power - California incentives/rebates, technical assistance, retailers, product guides and case studies.

• ENERGY STAR - federal program to promote energy efficient technologies and practices.