Electrifying Mobile Homes: A Model for Equity at Scale

Innovative contractors bring clean energy to mobile homes through HEEHRA rebates and contractor partnerships.

The path to clean energy has been more challenging for some households than others. Mobile home residents have often been left on the sidelines due to high project costs, language barriers, and other hurdles. TECH Clean California contractors are proving that with the right mix of funding, partnership, and strategy, these barriers can provide new opportunities for innovation.


The challenge of equitable electrification

TECH Clean California launched in 2021 with a clear mandate to accelerate the adoption of clean space and water heating technology across all demographics. TECH Clean California’s incentive program designers and implementers prioritized equity as a cornerstone of the initiative, driving a mission to serve low-income and hard-to-reach customers who stand to benefit most from energy-efficient upgrades.

Mobile homes represent a unique segment of California housing, with residents often facing higher energy costs relative to their income. Smaller and older homes can present additional challenges to installation. Historically, this has made switching to modern heat pump technology too expensive for many mobile home residents.


HEEHRA Rebates

The landscape shifted significantly in 2024 when qualified TECH Clean California contractors were able to offer rebates through the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEEHRA) Program. Funded by the federal Inflation Reduction Act and managed by the California Energy Commission, the HEEHRA Program makes heat pumps more affordable.

For income-qualified residents, the program offered up to $8,000 for low-income households and $4,000 for moderate-income households to switch to a HVAC heat pump. For mobile homes, which are typically smaller and require less heating capacity than large single-family houses, these rebate amounts can often cover the whole project cost.


Success in action: The BRYGE Model

Of the 700 heat pumps that have been installed in mobile homes through TECH Clean California and the HEEHRA Program, 472 of these projects (and counting) come from a single contractor called BRYGE (formerly LivSmart Home Services). Operating in Southern California, BRYGE leveraged rebates and incentives to develop a scalable model that installed heat pumps in mobile homes at no cost to the customer. Their success relied on three pillars: lowering costs with standardization, power of partnerships, and streamlining the customer experience.


1. Lowering costs with standardization

Because mobile homes often have similar layouts and requirements, BRYGE was able to standardize the installation process.

  • Uniformity: Similar layouts and setups meant crews could work faster and more efficiently, replicating success from one installation to the next.
  • Volume: Completing hundreds of projects allowed the contractor to achieve economies of scale, reducing the overall cost per installation.
  • Layered funding: Many projects also utilized TECH Clean California incentives for heat pump water heaters, maximizing the value delivered to each home.


2. The power of partnerships

BRYGE worked with mobile home park management to help build trust with residents, which can be a major challenge in community-based programs. BRYGE installed the heat pumps at no cost to the customer, and the company used short term private loans to cover the project costs while waiting for rebate reimbursement. By negotiating pricing with distributors, they reduced equipment costs, stretching the rebate dollars even further.


3. Streamlining the customer experience

Because paperwork and language barriers often make program participation difficult, BRYGE prioritized the customer experience. BRYGE staff didn't just install equipment—they assisted residents with income verification and offered language support to ensure everyone understood the benefits. TECH Clean California supported deployment by providing direct assistance with the rebate application process.


A blueprint for the future

The success seen in these Southern California mobile home parks offers a blueprint for the rest of the state. It demonstrates that when good policy meets ingenuity and trust, cleaner, more efficient heating becomes accessible to everybody. Focusing on both equity and innovation can ensure that the benefits of a clean energy future are shared by all Californians, one home at a time.


For more information on TECH Clean California and the HEEHRA Program, visit techcleanca.com and the TECH HEEHRA Program page.