Following up on a story we posted Feb. 14, 2011, Stardust Cruisers in Wayne County, Kentucky, finished two prototype modular homes recently sited on foundations. Boat sales have declined with the drop in the economy, and the company was seeking an alternative product. In a collaborative effort with the University of Kentucky College of Design, UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research, and Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp., Jerry Rickett, president and CEO of Kentucky Highlands, proposed building an energy-efficient modular home that could be heated and cooled for $1 a day, costing under $100,000, and made from Kentucky materials. Kentucky tells MHProNews.com that the two finished prototypes came in at about $1.65 a day HVAC, 85 percent of the materials came from within the state, but they could not stay below the 100k cost. Having received a $1.25 million federal grant, they are working on energy and cost saving designs for the next prototype. Rickett sees the homes as an alternative to aging houses and pre-HUD Code homes in disrepair in this southeastern area of the state.
