The house of the future has come to Auburn, and is ready for its first resident. Holland Homes and Alabama Power have partnered together to bring the first Smart Neighborhood to Auburn.
Daniel Holland, a 2011 Auburn alumnus, partnered with Alabama Power to bring Smart Neighborhoods to Auburn. Each house is fitted with smart outlets, locks and appliances which allow users to operate lights, door locks and kitchen appliances from their phones.
“All of the homes are going to be super energy efficient,” Holland said. “These houses are all fully integrated, so instead of buying a smart lightbulb or outlet, you have all of that integrated into the home from the beginning.”
Holland said the house has the capability to customize and program lights, thermostats, door locks, outdoor security cameras and appliances via a downloadable app.
“You can lock and unlock your doors, activate your alarms, set your coffee maker to start at certain times,” Holland said. “You have access to thermostats and floodlights and even sensors inside your house, all in the palm of your hand.”
Holland said that he has the system installed in his own home and it adds an ease of living that is easy to take for granted.
“I never have to worry about leaving my keys at home,” Holland said. “It’s like the key fob with cars. Nobody uses a key for their car anymore — just the fob and push-button start; it’s the same idea.”
Holland said that the homes can be programmed to fit a person’s routine and help streamline how they operate throughout the day.
“You can set the house on certain routines like have certain lights come on or even prep appliances based on how you live,” Holland said.
The smart houses also increase the energy efficiency in the home and have the potential to cut power bills in half.
“In layman’s terms, it is a whole other level above standard AC that can control the humidity level, which directly affects the comfort level of your home,” Holland said.
The Home Energy Rating System Index, HERS, is an industry standard for measuring a home’s energy efficiency. The lower the index rating a home receives, the more energy efficient it is.
A home built within the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code standards would receive an index rating of 100. These smart homes operate at an index of about 60, which is over 30% more energy efficient, while a typical resale home operates at an index of about 130.
“The lower the HERS score, the better, and all of these homes will be under 65,” Goolsby said. “That essentially cuts your energy bill in half, so a lot of these elements add up to a more efficiently run home.”
The addition of spray-foam insulation is one of the ways that energy efficiency is achieved. While a standard home has insulation installed in the ceiling of the home, foam insulation is applied on the underside of the roof of the smart homes and works to effectively seal off all the cracks and holes that are drilled in for wiring during construction.
Jim Goolsby, an Alabama Power Energy Specialist, said that by sealing off the house, the builders effectively create a “zone” within the house that allows the air-conditioning unit to control the whole house as one unit.
“The heat pump itself takes the heat content out of the air and injects it into the water, cooling the air and heating the water,” Goolsby said.
The air-conditioning units also use an electronic zoning system which allows one unit to control two floors, a task which typically requires the use of two units, Goolsby said.
Goolsby said the spray foam also perfectly seals the house, which eliminates any potential infiltration. That helps control humidity levels and keeps hot or cold air inside, which also cuts down on energy consumption.
Each smart home also comes with five smart outlets, two portable stations that make any standard outlet a smart outlet, an outdoor camera, a doorbell camera, an electric car charging port and an automated lawnmower, all of which can be remotely accessed and operated from your phone or a panel inside the home.
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