CI-2650 -- The Effect of Structural Thermal Capacity on the Air Conditioning of a Mobile Home

Based on National Mineral Wool Institute estimates a mobile home requires about twice the energy per unit floor area for comfort conditioning as a single detached dwelling, and over three times that of a high-rise unit. Consiiuering current building trends, mobile homes constitute the largest single category of energy consumption of all new housing types. It is apparent that the mobile home should be analyzed to improve its energy consumption features and to evaluate cost effectiveness of possible improvements. The growing use of air conditioners in mobile homes makes this area increasingly significant in the national energy consumption scheme.

The objective of this study was to compute the total summertime energy consumption of a package air conditioner cooling a mobile home. This objective required the use of a building load model as well as models of the air conditioner performance and system controls. The air conditioner energy consumption was to be computed on a cycle-by-cycle basis for each day of the summer period. The computed daily results were to be compared with measured values. The need to account for the thermal capacity of the home was recognized and considered.