As California and other states implement energy code standards to continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electrifying mobile and manufactured homes presents unique challenges that go far beyond standard retrofit projects. With limited electrical capacity, space constraints, and aging infrastructure, upgrades can seem impractical or prohibitively expensive, with one pilot program identifying electrical issues in over half of homes. Over 50 percent of mobile and manufactured home communities in California remain master-metered, which complicates ownership of energy infrastructure and disincentivizes energy efficiency improvements. While the California Public Utilities Commission’s Mobile Home Park Utility Conversion Program aims to convert parks to individual meters and increase home electrical service, demand far exceeds capacity—at the current pace, conversions may not be completed until 2055.

Beyond infrastructure, systemic barriers—including inconsistent permitting, restrictive regulations, split incentives between park owners and residents, limited contractor expertise, and under-resourced programs—frequently delay progress toward electrifying mobile and manufactured home communities. Even with supportive state policies, these systemic issues prevent many mobile and manufactured home residents from accessing electrification services. Together, these technical, structural, and systemic issues contribute to a substantial equity gap in California’s clean energy transition.

As part of CalNEXT, California’s emerging technology program, VEIC documented mobile and manufactured home electrification barriers through a market characterization study. Building on those findings, another CalNEXT project is in place to tackle these barriers through technical innovation and stakeholder collaboration. The CalNEXT project is testing smart panels to manage electrical loads in manufactured homes, helping extend capacity limits and enabling electrification where upgrades would otherwise require a costly electrical service upgrade. The team is also coordinating with residents, electricians, manufacturers, and park managers to understand their roles in the mobile and manufactured home electrification process.

Early insights from this engagement include:

• Community managers play a critical role in engaging residents and driving participation.
• Residents are motivated to increase electrical capacity to electrify their homes—driven by environmental and health concerns as well as the desire to modernize.
• Smart panels are new to authorities having jurisdiction over panel upgrades, leading to slow permit approvals and unclear criteria for acceptance.
• Contractors must assess the current mobile and manufactured home’s electrical infrastructure and complete smart panel manufacturer training to install these systems. Building trust and maintaining clear communication is essential, especially when navigating permit approvals from authorities having jurisdiction.

CalNEXT research reveals that stakeholders in mobile and manufactured home electrification differ widely in both influence and interest. High-impact decision-makers, such as park owners and state agencies, control infrastructure and permitting, while residents remain highly interested but have limited influence. Utility providers and contractors play supporting roles, and they require targeted engagement strategies to help align technical solutions with regulatory processes. Overcoming the barriers to mobile and manufactured home electrification is crucial to ensuring equitable access to California’s clean energy future.