All American Home from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

The All-American home is one of the 57 houses built by 22 builders featured in the Parade of Homes.

Saving energy means saving money, and in today’s housing market, potential buyers are actively looking for energy efficiency when buying a house.

“Today’s buyers are much more educated on the value certain energy efficiency measures bring to a house,” said Greater Montgomery Home Builders Association (GMHBA) President Jim Mathews. Mathews took this into consideration when building the All-American Home to be featured in the GMHBA Parade of Homes.

“We decided to make the All-American Home all-electric and add certain energy efficiency features because it would attract a lot of buyers who are looking for efficiency to save and for the comfort it provides,” Mathews said.

The All-American home is one of the 57 houses built by 22 builders featured in the Parade of Homes. Events kicked off on June 13 and 14, and will run June 20-21 and 27-28 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The garage features an electric vehicle charging station.

A variety of high-efficiency equipment is featured in the All-American Home, including two heat pumps, an electric tankless water heater and a heat pump water heater. Other energy efficiency measures installed were foam insulation in the walls and attic, programmable thermostats, zero duct leakage, and LED and fluorescent lighting.

An electric vehicle charging station was installed in the garage.

Mathews worked closely with Alabama Power to ensure the house included the most efficient technologies.

“We were able to install the latest and greatest in energy efficiency by partnering with Alabama Power,” Mathews said. “We honestly exceeded our expectations with how efficient we could make this house.”

“The All-American Home is 40 percent more energy efficient than traditional homes.” Cathy Brown, Alabama Power’s Residential Marketing manager.

The house was rated a 60 on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).

“The All-American Home is 40 percent more energy efficient than traditional homes,” said Cathy Brown, Alabama Power’s Residential Marketing manager for its Southern Division, who worked with Mathews on the project.

In addition to the positive rating, the house is an Alabama Power Superior Solutions Platinum Home.

“The platinum recognition is the highest level in the Superior Solutions program,” Brown said. “With the All-American Home’s platinum distinction, the Parade of Homes is an opportunity to show how builders and potential home-buyers can increase a home’s comfort and efficiency with a decent payback of savings through the program.”

What makes a Superior Solutions New Home?

The Superior Solutions New Home Program launched in January to guide home-builders in making the best choices to achieve comfort and energy efficiency year-round, while also rewarding builders for choosing energy-efficient equipment.

Houses in the program are recognized in four levels of platinum, gold, silver and bronze. The recognitions are awarded based on the amount of energy-efficient equipment installed and the SEER and HERS ratings.

Brown said there are Superior Solutions Homes being built in Montgomery and Southern Division at various program levels, but the All-American Home is the first to receive a platinum recognition.

The All-American Home is located at 9164 Crescent Lodge Drive.

For more information on the GMHBA Parade of Homes, visit www.gmhba.org, or call 334-277-7766.

Learn more about energy efficiency from Alabama Power.

Energy-efficient features include Icynene Spray Foam Insulation in the walls and attic.

Energy-efficient Features

• Icynene Spray Foam Insulation in Walls and Attic
• Carrier Infinity Variable-speed Inverter Heat Pump on Main Level
• GeoSpring Heat Pump Water Heater
• Programmable Thermostats
• Zero Duct Leakage
• LED and Fluorescent Lighting

Special Features

• Clipper Creek Electric Vehicle Charging Station
• Eemax Electric Tankless Water Heater

All-American Home benefits

• Estimated energy bills – $1,544 a year.
• Foam insulation allows for downsizing the heat pump tonnage due to the elimination of duct loss to the attic and lower air-infiltration rates.
• LED and fluorescent light bulbs use less energy, emit less heat into the living space, have a longer life expectancy.
• The heat pump water heater is the most energy-efficient way to heat water – for every $1 spent you get at least $2.40 in energy (energy factor is 2.4 to 3.1)
• Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) is 11, which will equal greater comfort and savings in the winter. Typical systems are rated 8.2 HSPF. This heat pump will operate without strip heat down to 19 degrees.
• Comfort is ensured with consistent temperatures between and across rooms.

• Indoor air quality is enhanced by reducing dust, pollen, bugs and excessive humidity.

Home Features

• 3,354 square feet
• Five bedrooms
• Three and a half baths
• Family room
• Screened-in porch with fireplace
• Two car garage
• Bonus room