DOE halts first-ever efficiency rule for mobile homes

By Christa Marshall | 07/03/2025 06:47 AM EDT

It had been scheduled to take effect July 1. Industry observers worry it could be delayed indefinitely.

The Department of Energy headquarters.

The Department of Energy headquarters in Washington on Sept. 16, 2022. Francis Chung/POLITICO

The Department of Energy is delaying a landmark rule to increase the efficiency of mobile homes, a move it says will help businesses even as environmentalists say it will spike costs for low-income Americans.

In a final regulation in the Federal Register on Wednesday, DOE said it was punting the compliance date for the 2022 rule for new multisection manufactured homes — which make up the majority of mobile models — to 180 days after yet-to-be-released enforcement guidelines. With no set timeline on releasing the guidelines, the rule could be delayed indefinitely, according to industry observers.

“This rulemaking fulfills our commitment to lift the excessive pressure imposed on the manufactured housing industry by the previous administration,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Lou Hrkman in a statement. “The Department is working hard to provide the American people some relief as we work toward a permanent regulatory framework that benefits both consumers and manufacturers.”

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In a prepublication notice, DOE said it was freezing the rule — the first-ever at the department on manufactured homes — to allow “more time to consider the proposed enforcement procedures and comments submitted, and to evaluate appropriate next steps that provide clarity for manufacturers.” The Biden-era rule had been scheduled to take effect on July 1.

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