Electric utilities nationwide are implementing new programs to educate their customers about energy efficiency and smart technology. Alabama Power, however, has taken this initiative a step further by working with partners to build smart neighborhoods.
For example, Alabama Power recently built its first Smart Neighborhood in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. The homes within this future-focused, energy-efficient community are said to be rated 35 percent more efficient than standard Alabama homes being built today.
The Smart Neighorhood, which is located in Reynolds Landing in Ross Bridge, is the first in the Southeast to integrate high-performance homes, energy-efficient systems and appliances, connected devices and a microgrid on a community-wide scale. The microgrid consists of solar panels, battery storage and a backup natural gas generator.
To launch the project, Alabama Power partnered with homebuilder Signature Homes, researchers at Southern Company, U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Electric Power Research Institute, and technology vendors Carrier, Rheem and Vivint.
This photo gallery gives an inside look at the Smart Neighborhood and microgrid. For more information, view the video clip below or view the Web site.