Manufactured Housing

Manufactured homes are built with supply ductwork running the length of the home with registers installed through the floor. The furnace is usually located in a closet in the home without a ducted return air system.

Manufactured homes (new and older models) usually have a forced air heating system (electric or gas). A heat pump can be a significant efficiency improvement and they're easy to install. Some manufactured homes may be uncomfortable in the summer without air conditioning. A heat pump provides comfortable cooling in the summer as well as efficient heating in the winter.

Packaged heat pumps have a condenser coil, compressor, and fan in one unit. They can be installed in manufactured housing as an alternative to the split-system. Most packaged units are located outside the home, but a recent development in heat pumps is a self-contained indoor heating and cooling unit. All of the components for heating and cooling are in a single unit occupying the same floor space as most standard furnaces.

A WORD OF WARNING: If your crawlspace skirting is not animal-proof, stray cats or other animals can rip open the "cross-over duct" that connects the heating system between the two sides of a double-wide home, allowing heat to escape underneath your home. The flexible duct is commonly just a big coil of wire with two thin layers of plastic and a bit of insulation wrapped around it, so it is very vulnerable to animals looking for warmth.