WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $800,000 to the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (Cocoa, FL) and seven other partners to help reduce the energy cost of factory-built housing by up to 50% and assist in the construction of energy-efficient industrialized houses over the next several years.

“Investment in this project will result in thousands of new energy-efficient, high-quality, and affordable factory-built homes,” said Richardson.

Other members of the team are: Washington State University Cooperative Extension Program (Olympia, WA); Oregon Office of Energy (Salem, OR); Idaho Department of Water Resources (Boise, ID); Building Science Corp. (Westford, MA); American Lung Association of Central Florida (Orlando, FL); American Lung Association of Washington (Seattle, WA); and University of Central Florida, Industrial Engineering Department (Orlando, FL).