Building Resilience: Helping Oregon Families Replace Aging Manufactured Homes

On a recent episode of the “Marketplace” radio program, Senior Correspondent Amy Scott asked, “What makes mobile homes vulnerable to severe weather?” The segment, which aired on 800 stations across the country and reached up to 10 million listeners, drew national attention to a growing problem: millions of families live in manufactured homes that were built before modern construction and energy standards.

This compelling look at weather vulnerability in manufactured housing contributes to an ongoing conversation that has been happening in Oregon for many years, including at Energy Trust of Oregon. The Daily Yonder, which provides news about and for rural communities nationwide, reported on September 9 that residents of older manufactured homes face increased exposure to extreme weather, as well as higher utility bills and unhealthy living conditions. This nationwide issue is more relevant than ever here in Oregon — where a measurable impact is already being made through Energy Trust of Oregon’s Manufactured Home Replacement initiative.

The Challenge: Aging Homes and Increasing Risks

Across Oregon, hundreds of thousands of individuals and families live in manufactured homes. In fact, manufactured homes make up 10 percent of Oregon’s housing, and 60 percent of those were built before 1976, when standardized building codes first took effect.

Many of these older homes have poor insulation, air leaks, and outdated and inefficient heating systems that make them costly and uncomfortable to live in. For individuals and families on fixed or limited incomes, high utility bills and maintenance challenges can create serious financial strain. These become harder to ignore as climate-related events become more frequent. The Daily Yonder’s article helped bring these realities to light, showing that the problem is not only structural but also systemic, tied to housing age, equity and access to resources.

The Solution: The Manufactured Home Replacement Program

To address these structural and systemic issues, Energy Trust launched the Manufactured Home Replacement Program in 2017. The goal: help homeowners replace aging, inefficient homes with NEEM+ and ENERGY STAR® certified models that lower energy use and improve comfort, safety and health.

What began as a small pilot program has grown into an impactful housing and energy initiative, and that growth has been greatly supported by Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP), a certified MBE delivering technical and program expertise.

EIP’s Role: Expanding Access and Building Trust

After the first year of implementation, EIP joined the program through CLEAResult to help refine and scale it throughout Energy Trust territories. Drawing on deep experience in community outreach and energy efficiency, EIP expanded relationships with manufactured home retailers, contractors, park owners and community-based organizations including CASA of Oregon (which stands for Community and Shelter Assistance of Oregon) and other culturally specific partners that serve Spanish-speaking households.

These partnerships became the foundation for expanding the program’s reach, especially in rural and underserved communities; and they proved essential in times of crisis. When the 2020 Almeda Fire devastated the Oregon communities of Talent and Phoenix, destroying thousands of homes including entire manufactured home parks, these on-the-ground relationships helped streamline rebuilding efforts for displaced residents. Working alongside Energy Trust, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS),

CLEAResult and local partners, EIP supported the coordination of funding and outreach to ensure families could return to new, energy-efficient homes that are safer and more resilient to future wildfires.

To support consistency and accountability across partners, EIP enhanced a strategic outreach tracking system that now guides engagement, communication and relationship-building efforts. By bringing structure and trusted local connections to the process, EIP helped transform a program established to help achieve efficiency goals into one that also drives long-term housing stability and community recovery.

On the Ground: Navigators Who Make It Happen

OHSC offers financial incentives to help qualified owners of older manufactured homes afford new homes, but navigating these programs can be a challenge. That’s where EIP’s Program Navigators come in and provide guidance to applicants, each step of the way.

The program navigators are subject matter experts in manufactured home replacement, with the ultimate purpose of supporting homeowners in the process of replacing their old homes with new, energy-efficient manufactured homes.

Program navigators coach homeowners through every step of the manufactured home replacement process, often starting with direct outreach to priority communities with large numbers of manufactured homes and attending community events to let people know about the program. These program navigators help families complete steps from confirming eligibility and lining up available funding and resources, to supporting families as they shop for new homes, to coordinating removal of their old homes and finally moving into their new homes.

Navigators keep homeowners on track as they work through what can be a complex process involving retailers, contractors, lenders, local and state government agencies, nonprofit organizations, inspectors and more.

Results and Momentum

With EIP’s field-based presence in manufactured home communities and co-ops, Energy Trust’s Manufactured Home Replacement Program has expanded its footprint from six completed projects in 2022 to a projected 110 completions in 2025, now serving customers in all Energy Trust service areas.

More than 185 homes have already transitioned into high-efficiency manufactured homes, experiencing lower energy bills, better health outcomes and a sense of housing stability that was previously out of reach.

Energy Trust’s Manufactured Home Replacement Program shows what’s possible when utilities, public agencies and community partners work together to create real, lasting change. Energy Trust, EIP and CLEAResult are committed to helping Oregon families live in homes that are efficient, resilient and future-ready for years to come, one replacement at a time.