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Mobile Homes Go Green

Tracy Staedter, Discovery News

Other natural features, such as trees, will also be incorporated into the house's plan. Each GreenMobile unit will come with a site design suggesting where to plant local trees to maximize shade.

The house will also come equipped with energy-efficient appliances and mechanical systems. Some of those include Energy Star-rated appliances, compact fluorescent lighting, composting toilets, a solar hot water heater, rainwater harvesters, and photovoltaics to collect solar energy.

The mobile home could see little or no utility costs, and if connected to the electric grid with net metering, home owners could even find themselves selling excess energy back to their utilities.

Berk is "trying to make a healthier and greener version of what has traditionally been unhealthy and not so green," said Brad Guy, a Ph.D. student in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. Guy is one of the creators and judges of the Lifecycle Building Challenge.

But it may be difficult to get house manufacturers to adopt the new style.

"Any kind of change is very difficult for the construction industry in general," said Guy. "If it's not a time-tested thing, it's difficult to make changes in the face of risk and liabilities." And, he added, "Any kind of new building system requires trained people to implement it, and that's a slow process."

But Berk is hopeful. Not only would such a mobile home improve the lives of people living in poverty, it could also pad their pocket books.

Because the GreenMobile is designed to last longer than conventional mobile homes and accrue value, it could be financed through long-term, low-interest loans that would ultimately lower a homeowner's monthly payment.

Last December, GreenMobile received a $5.8 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to construct trailers for disaster areas. Berk is also working with the Mississippi Emergency Agency to modify the GreenMobile into a streamlined version called the Mississippi Eco-Cottage. Eighty units will eventually be built for Mississippi Gulf Coast residents.

Related Links:

Tracy Staedter's blog: What the Tech?

Lifecycle Building Challenge

GreenMobile Design

How Stuff Works: Solar Powering a House