Purpose: Nowadays, there is an increasing trend of attempts and cases to use containers not only to fulfill the needs of transportation and temporary shelter at the housing level, but also as a major component of modular architecture by grouping or combining single-structured shipping style containers. However, research on several performance factors of the structure, energy performance, etcetera is lacking, as most of the studies conducted on containers of this variety are mainly based on the analysis of their characteristics, cases, and determining their usability in the field of practical use; such processes construct a motivation and purpose of this study. Methods: This study was designed to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of shipping container usage in modular housing design and to present the criteria through an analysis of the energy performance of modular housing based on a collective system of containers. Results: With settled prototypes as target modular units, as a result, a comparative analysis for energy performance has been performed, and it is turned out that the type and the combination quantity affects it meaningfully and suggests a fundamental guideline for utilizing container modules as spatial units.