2026-06-27 Comment response to the published Request for information
Tiny House Alliance USASupportAdvocacy
Summary: Janet Thome, President of the Tiny House Alliance USA, supports the DOE's effort to improve its methodology for assessing building energy code affordability. She specifically advocates for including smaller housing types, such as tiny houses and ADUs, in the DOE's prototype models to ensure a more accurate representation of the current housing market.
## Topic Q06 – Residential Prototype Models: Add Tiny Houses
Submitted By Janet Thome President
Tiny House Alliance USA
I support DOE's consideration of adding a smaller single-family home prototype to better represent today's housing market. I encourage the Department to continue moving toward smaller residential prototype models that reflect the growing demand for attainable and affordable housing.
As DOE evaluates additional prototype models, I recommend including housing types that are significantly smaller than the current 2,376-square-foot prototype, including:
* Tiny houses on wheels
* Tiny houses on permanent foundations
* Cottage homes
* Starter homes
* Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
These housing types have different construction methods, occupancy patterns, and energy demands than conventional homes. As a result, the cost and consumer impact of proposed energy code changes may differ significantly from those calculated using larger prototype homes.
Tiny houses on wheels deserve particular consideration as a distinct residential prototype. They represent one of the nation's smallest and most affordable housing options. Including them in DOE's prototype models would provide valuable data on how future energy requirements affect housing affordability while recognizing that these homes already consume substantially less energy than conventional single-family housing.
Developing prototype models that reflect smaller homes will provide DOE with a more representative assessment of affordability, energy performance, and consumer impacts across today's evolving housing market.