DOE Efficient New Homes Pilot

Under Construction | Kentucky

Started: 2024 | Completed: TBD (Targeting February 2027)

Starting Price of Homes: N/A

3

# of Homes

Kentucky EEC

Mission-Driven Partner:

Multiple Builders

Our Design & Build Partner

Project Summary

Next Step is partnering with the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy to place three solar-equipped manufactured homes across eastern, western, and central Kentucky. The project prioritizes counties affected by natural disasters in the last five years and communities with high energy burdens. Each home comes paired with homebuyer education, lender connections, and hands-on demonstration events for local officials, builders, and the public. The initiative is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program.

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Project Details

Each home in the demonstration pairs solar components with the same standards behind every Next Step Homes project — ENERGY STAR® on a permanent foundation, paired with fair, sustainable financing.

  • Next Step is identifying home sites in partnership with the Office of Energy Policy, with preference for high energy-burden areas and communities recovering from recent natural disasters.
  • Homebuyers receive online and local homeownership counseling, either directly through Next Step or through a national partner.
  • Next Step is building a lender network offering government-backed, KHC, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae financing, including MH Advantage® and CHOICEHome® products.
  • Three community demonstration events will bring together local officials, builders, lenders, and residents to learn about what’s next for solar-ready factory-built housing in Kentucky
  • Findings from the project will be published in a case study on the viability of expanding solar manufactured housing across Kentucky.

Demonstration One: Redbud Estates in London, KY

On May 21, 2026, Next Step joined KMHI, Clayton Homes, and the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy for the ribbon cutting of Redbud Estates, a new 53-home CrossMod® neighborhood built to the DOE’s Efficient New Homes specifications. The event featured guided home tours, a look at Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) roof shingles, and conversations with local housing stakeholders and state leaders.

Demonstration Two: Bremen, KY

Next Step joined KMHI, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, Austin Homes, and Champion Home Builders on August 27, 2026, to celebrate a new energy-efficient manufactured home in Bremen.

Guests toured the home and saw a firsthand demonstration of how the Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) roof shingles are installed at the homebuilding facility.