H.R. 5184, Affordable HOMES Act

H.R. 5184 would repeal the authority for the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish energy conservation standards for manufactured housing. The bill also would authorize DOE to recommend revisions to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s existing energy conservation standards.

In addition, the bill would prohibit DOE from implementing the rule, “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Manufactured Housing,” as published in the Federal Register in May 2022.[1] Manufacturers must comply with that rule at different times depending on the type of home they manufacture. However, because DOE delayed the compliance date for that rule in July 2025, CBO expects that no manufacturers would be required to comply until at least 2027.

Under current law, manufacturers that do not comply with DOE’s standards for manufactured housing would be liable for civil penalties, which are recorded in the budget as revenues. Accordingly, enacting the bill could reduce revenues if fewer civil penalties were collected as a result of the bill. Based on the number of cases likely to be affected, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would reduce revenues by an insignificant amount over the 2026-2035 period.

CBO estimates that implementing the bill would reduce spending subject to appropriation by less than $500,000 because the bill would lessen DOE’s requirement to establish energy conservation standards. Any reduction in spending would depend on future appropriations being reduced by the estimated amount.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aaron Krupkin. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.