In the spring of 2023, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Apex Analytics to conduct a Transition Market Progress Evaluation Report for its Manufactured Homes Program. NEEA’s program supports the adoption of manufactured homes meeting the Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program™ (NEEM)+ specification, developed by Northwest Energy Works. NEEM+ is a more stringent standard than the ENERGY STAR® Version 2 specification, which has been in effect throughout the program’s history.
The study addressed four key objectives:
- Confirm that the NEEM+ specification will remain viable without NEEA’s intervention.
- Summarize initiative history in a narrative that describes the program’s work and achievements from its inception to present day.
- Track select market progress indicators.
- Recommend viable approaches for conducting subsequent long-term monitoring and tracking efforts.
Report findings indicate that while NEEM+ market share is currently low, it is, in the opinion of manufacturers and retailers, still stable in the near term. Manufacturers and retailers agreed that their NEEM+ home sales were steady or had risen in the past two years. Since market forces are changing because of the new ENERGY STAR specification which takes effect in 2026, it is advised that NEEA should continue to monitor the market to ensure that NEEM+ homes remain a viable alternative on an ongoing basis.
This report has been updated with a memorandum at the end of the document as of 4/4/24.
