Metering.com May 2, 2018
Alabama Power has announced that their >Smart Neighbourhood programme is near completion, bringing together high-performance homes, energy efficient systems, connected devices and a microgrid on a community-wide scale.
All the homes in the neighbourhood have been sold, with about half now occupied. The remaining homes under construction are expected to be completed in late spring.
“…We sold all of the 62 homes within six months of opening our model,” said Dwight Sandlin, Signature Homes CEO. “We feel Smart Neighbourhood is a game changer and will have a strong impact on the housing market for years to come.”
According to John Hudson, senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development for Alabama Power, “With Alabama Power’s Smart Neighbourhood, the future of residential energy has arrived.”
“Smart Neighbourhood brings together technologies and data in new ways that help families take control of their energy use and live better today.”
The Smart Neighbourhood homes are rated 35% more energy efficient than standard Alabama homes and provide home owners greater control over their appliances and energy usage.
The Smart Neighbourhood at Reynolds Landing is home to a microgrid comprising solar panels, battery storage and a backup natural gas generator. The neighbourhood is also tied to Alabama’s power grid. The neighbourhood’s intelligent technology communicates with each home’s heating, air conditioning and water heating systems to determine the best way to provide energy.
“Smart Neighbourhood systems can analyse and predict the entire community’s future energy needs and ensure customers are served in the most efficient ways possible,” said John Hudson.
Alabama Power is gathering data from the homes and microgrid over the next two years. This data will shape future energy efficiency programmes, to meet the evolving needs of customer.
In addition to Signature Homes, Smart Neighbourhood was made possible through partnerships with researchers from Alabama Power’s parent company, Southern Company, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Electric Power Research Institute, as well as technology vendors Carrier, Vivint and Rheem, among others.
Learn more about Smart Neighbourhood or take a virtual tour of one of these smart homes.