BAIHP INTRODUCTION

The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP) team is one of five Building America teams competitively funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Building Technologies program.

BAIHP History

BAIHP began work on September 1, 1999 with a focus on improving energy efficiency, durability, and indoor air quality of new industrialized housing. DOE funding for the project has been supplemented by cost share funding from the Florida Energy Office (now defunct) of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), and many Industry Partners. FSEC, a research institute of the University of Central Florida (UCF), serves as the project prime contractor.

Scope of this Report

This report covers the 5th budget period (April 1, 2003 - March 31, 2004) and includes significant material from the first four budget period final reports for a comprehensive account of the BAIHP work to date.

BAIHP’s Goals

• Cost effectively reduce the energy cost of industrialized housing and portable classrooms by up to 50% while enhancing indoor air quality, durability and productivity.
• Assist in the construction of thousands of energy efficient industrialized houses annually.
• Make our partners pleased and proud to be working with us.

BAIHP Research Team

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Central Florida (UCF) serve as the prime contractor. Subcontractors during the 5th budget period included the Washington State University Energy Program (WSU), the American Lung Associations of Central Florida (ALACF), and the Florida Home Energy and Resources Organization (Florida H.E.R.O.)

Previously funded subcontractors have included the American Lung Association of Washington, Blue Sky Foundation of North Carolina, D.R. Wastchak, GreenSmart Inc., North Carolina A&T State University, the Oregon Office of Energy, the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Alten Design.

What is Building Science?

Industrialized housing encompasses much of modern American construction including:

• Manufactured Housing – factory-built to the nation wide HUD Code
• Modular Housing - factory-built, site assembled modules meeting local code
• Production Housing - site-built systematically, factory built components

The project scope has also included portable classrooms during 2000-2002.

Of the 1.8 million homes built in the US in 2003 (Figure 1), over 7% were factory built to US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003(a)(b) referred to as HUD Code Homes or Manufactured Homes. Manufactured Homes are one of the most affordable types of single-family detached housing available anywhere in the world, generally costing less than $35/ft2 plus land costs for centrally air conditioned and heated homes with built-in kitchens. Available in all parts of the country, manufactured homes are more popular in rural areas and in the southern and western US where land is still plentiful.

Figure E-1 2003 census data shows 1.8 million housing starts (site built) and placements (manufactured). Sources of Housing Starts Statistics: -Multi Family: http://www.census.gov/const/startsan.pdf -Site Built, Modular: http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sftotalconstmethod.pdf -Manufactured Housing Placements: http://www.census.gov/const/mhs/histplac.pdf

Scope of BAIHP Activities

Within the larger context of the Building America program, BAIHP works to foster achievement of the Department of Energy’s goals. BAIHP researchers work in these areas:

• Technical Assistance (Section I)
• Field and Laboratory Research (Section II)
• Training and Education (Section III)
• Collaborations with the Homebuilding and Energy Industries (Section IV)
• Program Management (Section V)

Industry Partnerships

Many manufacturers, builders, suppliers, and research organizations have joined the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership. Those receiving Technical Assistance for their projects are described Section II of this report. Those participating in BAIHP Research efforts are described in Section III. Table 1 lists current and past BAIHP Project Industry Partners by housing sector.

Project Contact