Smart Neighborhood™ by Alabama Power Nears Completion
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Alabama Power's Smart Neighborhood at Reynolds Landing in Birmingham is nearing its completion. The neighborhood features homes with energy-efficient systems and appliances, including Carrier Infinity heat pumps with Greenspeed intelligence. The homes will also feature other connected devices and operates on a community wide microgrid power station. The Smart Neighborhood is a future-focused, energy-efficient community with homes that are rated 35 percent more efficient than standard Alabama homes being built today, according to Alabama Power. Carrier, a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
"The homes, constructed by regional homebuilder, Signature Homes, are equipped with cutting-edge systems and appliances that give customers more control over their home's features and energy use," said Richard Fletcher, director, Sales, Carrier Residential. "The innovative collaboration between Carrier, Signature Homes and Alabama Power signals what the standard for residential construction may look like in five to ten years."
The success of the project was a result of Carrier working closely with its distributor, Weathertech Distributing, as well as Parker Engineering to deliver a solution fit for Southern Company and Alabama Power.
"This neighborhood represents the future of residential home construction and how a smart home comfort system can integrate into a larger ecosystem of connected products to deliver more precise comfort and profound energy savings," said Casey Yates, director, Strategic Accounts, Carrier Residential. "We believe this neighborhood will be the first of many built across the U.S. using our Infinity heat pump systems to meet demands for smart neighborhoods that drive low energy dependency. We're proud to have played our part in this project and salute the entire team who made this neighborhood such a success."
The microgrid, located near the Smart Neighborhood is made up of solar panels, battery storage and a backup natural gas generator. It is the first in the Southeast to support an entire residential community. The neighborhood is linked to Alabama Power's electric grid. The neighborhood's intelligent technology also communicates with the homes' heating, air conditioning and water-heating systems to determine the best way to provide energy.
"Smart Neighborhood systems can analyze and predict the entire community's future energy needs and ensure customers are served in the most efficient ways possible," said John Hudson, senior vice president, Marketing and Business Development, Alabama Power.
Alabama Power gathers data from the homes and the microgrid to provide insight into how neighborhoods of the future could function. The information will help the company develop new programs, services and advanced energy solutions to meet the evolving needs of Alabama Power customers.
All the homes in the neighborhood have been sold, with about half currently occupied.
"Reynolds Landing has been a success with outstanding market acceptance – we sold all of the 62 homes within six months of opening our model," said Dwight Sandlin, CEO, Signature Homes. "We feel Smart Neighborhood is a game changer and will have a strong impact on the housing market for years to come. We are changing the conversation from cost to value and innovation."
In addition to Signature Homes, Smart Neighborhood 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 Laboratoryand the Electric Power Research Institute.
You can learn more about Smart Neighborhood at https://www.smartneighbor.com/pages/neighborhood and more about Carrier products at carrier.com/residential.
About Carrier
Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Carrier is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.carrier.com or follow @Carrier on Twitter.
Dwight Sandlin, CEO, Signature Homes speaks at an event earlier this year to celebrate the Smart Neighborhood™ in suburban Birmingham. Sandlin and his team worked closely with Carrier in selecting the Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed intelligence to provide climate control for every home in the community.
A Carrier Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed intelligence installed outside of one of the completed homes at the Smart Neighborhood in suburban Birmingham, Alabama.
The Smart Neighborhood™ is supported by this solar collection facillity located a few minutes from the community. Carrier Infinity heat pumps with Greenspeed intelligence provide the heating and cooling for the state-of-the-art connected community.
