Combining Sustainability and Attainability With Modern Manufactured Homes
December 18, 2025—3 min read
Clayton® is using our decades of home building experience to drive change in the industry with attainable homes that cost less to build and less to live in. We also believe that sustainability leads to greater home affordability, reflecting our commitment to being a force for good and using resources wisely. We do this by focusing on building more efficiently and sustainability, and by offering homes with energy-efficient features for long-term homeowner savings.
Off-Site Built Home Construction at Clayton
Off-site built home construction is designed to be more efficient, so attainability and sustainability begin inside the facilities where Clayton builds homes. All of our Clayton home building and Clayton Supply facilities are ISO® 140001:2015 certified. The ISO is an organization that develops global standards for a range of different products, services and systems. ISO 140001 specifically helps organizations manage resources and reduce waste, so by using this system, we can regularly review and improve sustainability goals in our facilities.
Additionally, Clayton team members across the country are focused on innovative ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste. From commonly used materials like lumber, cardboard and copper wire to vinyl siding, aluminum, plastic, gypsum wallboards and even water, team members are making an impact with their construction innovations.
These efforts kept 123 million pounds of waste from Clayton facilities out of landfills in 2024. For comparison, residential trash cans typically hold around 300 pounds.
Because we also know which material types and sizes we use most often when building our homes, we’re also able to more effectively manage orders of those materials, just like how some households will order items in bulk so they can save money and make the most of their storage space. Clayton also builds or sources materials like windows, cabinets and roof trusses through our internal supply chain.
All of these factors help us reduce our overall construction time and spend less money on material shipping and storage, which in turn contributes to us being able to offer more attainable housing to our customers.
Energy-Efficient Options in Clayton Homes
We also focus on attainability and sustainability in our home designs, starting with a variety of price ranges to help buyers find options that best fit their budget. But we also know buyers who want a more affordable home today are thinking about those long-term energy bills.
Our eBuilt® and eBuilt Plus homes let homeowners decide what features fit with their needs. Clayton eBuilt homes, built to ENERGY STAR® ready standards, can help homeowners save up to 30%¹ on annual energy bills when paired with a SmartComfort® by Carrier® electric heat pump or gas furnace. And, constructed to the U.S. Department of Energy's Efficient New Homes Program standards, an eBuilt Plus home includes all the features of an eBuilt home, plus additional features that can help homeowners save up to 50%¹ on annual energy bills, also when paired with an electric heat pump or gas furnace.
These energy-efficient features, which include LED lighting, a smart thermostat and low emittance windows, are designed to make it easy to save energy and money beginning on move-in day, without the need for potentially expensive upgrades or renovations.
We also know many modern manufacturing home buyers are interested in solar energy, homesteading, composting or other options on their properties to reduce their impact on the environment. With the addition of a renewable energy system like solar panels, an eBuilt Plus home can become a “net zero” home, which potentially can offset up to 100% of its annual energy use by generating the power it consumes.²
There are many long-term benefits to homeownership for both people and the communities they live and work, which is why Clayton is dedicated to providing quality, energy-efficient homes through our innovative, sustainable building practices. We offer a wide range of affordable, beautifully crafted homes to make homeownership possible for more people, whether that means moving into a new neighborhood, living in an established city block, or discovering floor plans with personalization options for private land.
Learn more about Clayton's key initiatives, partnerships, and milestones on our Newsroom.
ISO® is the registered trademark of the International Organization for Standardization
¹Energy savings are based on electrical energy consumption using NREL® BEopt™ to estimate annual electrical energy consumption of a home built to ENERGY STAR® Version 3.0 requirements and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home™ guidelines compared to the same home built to HUD standards in the city listed. Estimates are based on calculations for multi-section Tempo Let it Be and Shout models. In thermal zone 2, eBuilt homes powered by gas are ENERGY STAR ready Version 3.0. when paired with an electric hybrid water heater at additional cost. In thermal zone 3, eBuilt homes may be optioned to meet ENERGY STAR® Version 3.0 ready when additional insulation is installed.
²Based on electrical energy consumption using NREL® BEopt™ to estimate annual electrical energy consumption and NREL PVWatts Calculator to estimate the annual solar production. It assumes that the home is equipped with an appropriately sized solar system and is placed in a location that optimizes the solar features.
ENERGY STAR® and the ENERGY STAR® mark are registered trademarks owned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Base features for eBuilt homes were updated on September 8, 2025. Refrigerator and dishwasher are optional in some home models. Ask your home center for more information to learn the features included in a particular home.
