The Persistence of Residential Energy Insecurity in Manufactured Housing of Minnesota: A Grounded Theory Study of the Social, Policy, and Structural Dimensions

Abstract

In the United States, residents of manufactured homes built before 2000 have, on average, an energy burden range that is double that of residents for all other housing types built before 2000 (7.15% - 8.94% compared to 4.00% - 4.44%, respectively) (“2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey Microdata,” 2013). This disproportionately high average energy burden, in combination with a higher average energy expenditure and consumption per square foot, represent disparities in energy equity for low-income Americans. Given that household energy is a necessity, these disparities place manufactured home residents at a greater risk of being unable to affordably and efficiently heat, cool, and power their home, which is part of a phenomenon referred to as Residential Energy Insecurity. Direct and indirect strains stemming from this have severe health consequences like choosing between heating a home or buying food, a concept referred to as “heat or eat” (Hernández, Aratani, & Jiang, 2014; Brunner et al., 2012; Harrison & Popke, 2011). For more than three decades, two federal programs (the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program) have addressed these dimensions of energy insecurity, yet the disparity in energy burdens persists.