Atlanta's first Smart Neighborhood™ features latest smart-home technologies

ATLANTA, March 8, 2018  /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta's first Smart Neighborhood^TM, a development of Georgia Power and PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), will feature the latest home innovation technologies thanks to collaboration with leading partners from multiple industries.  The Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood, a part of Pulte's Altus at the Quarter development, is located in Atlanta's Upper West Side, one of the city's most vibrant and popular areas.   

"Developing the Smart Neighborhood is just one of the ways that we are staying at the forefront of emerging technology while ensuring that we are prepared to continue to meet our customers' changing energy needs," said Pedro Cherry, executive vice president of customer service and operations for Georgia Power. "We are proud to unite industry leaders that bring a shared commitment to customer innovation, as well as unmatched industry expertise in their areas, and understand the value that a smart, connected new home offers for homebuyers."

"We are always looking for new ways to innovate and provide consumer inspired features in our homes," said Brent Landry, vice president of operations for PulteGroup. "The convergence of multiple, high-quality partners on this particular community is sure to yield some exciting results for each of us and our homeowners."

State-of-the-art home automation, solar energy and battery storage are key elements of the Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood. Participating partners include:

• Alarm.com – Home buyers look for security and peace of mind and Alarm.com delivers innovative home security technology. Alarm.com's smarter home security solutions include professional monitoring and connect a wide array of smart devices, making them easily controlled through a single, intuitive mobile app for home owners.
• GreenMarbles – The smart home of the future is fully automated with all home systems connected. GreenMarbles, known as Green Automation in Georgia, is an institutional integrator specializing in home automation and energy management solutions. With GreenMarbles, the home automatically responds to the homeowner's activities, location and schedules, integrating thermostats, locks, lights, garage doors and water sensors.
• Hannah Solar – Georgia is a national leader in solar energy, with solar installations of all sizes in place across the state and more customers considering solar for their homes and businesses every day. The Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood will demonstrate the effectiveness of residential solar energy with full-service solar integrator Hannah Solar installing rooftop solar panels and battery storage for each home.
• Mercedes-Benz Energy – Mercedes-Benz Energy provides home energy solutions to support the transition to a sustainable future. Their home batteries maximize clean energy usage by storing solar energy for use when the sun isn't shining. Mercedes-Benz Energy Storage Home also gives Smart Neighborhood homeowners additional peace of mind with a reliable and safe source of backup power.
• Sunverge Energy – The Sunverge Energy Distributed Energy Resource (DER) control and orchestration platform is an edge/cloud-based virtual power plant, residential battery, and home energy management systems (HEMS) control software, which allows utilities to control and orchestrate renewable DERs for better integration with the distribution grid and core utility operations. For Smart Neighborhood residents, Sunverge Energy's platform will enable the full value stacking of benefits from the Mercedes-Benz Energy battery, in conjunction with managing load via smart thermostats and grid-interactive water heaters, by forecasting and scheduling operations to automatically provide energy bill savings when paired with Georgia Power's Smart Usage or Nights & Weekends energy rate.

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company, which emphasizes the importance of robust research and development to better serve customers. The Smart Neighborhood initiative, including separate projects with Georgia Power and its sister operating company Alabama Power, reinforces Southern Company's commitment to research and development (R&D) to benefit 9 million customers in the United States. Georgia Power also continues to conduct R&D through programs developed with and approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission such as separate solar energy research projects with the University of Georgia and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

In addition to the technology partners above, Georgia Power is also collaborating with Southern Company R&D to better understand the interactions between rooftop solar and in-home battery storage and the existing electric grid for energy efficient homes. Additional research partners include the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which will be developing the Smart Neighborhood's home energy optimization platform that will intelligently schedule each homes' major appliances, in coordination with solar and batteries, to minimize cost while optimizing each homeowner's comfort. Additionally, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is providing design guidance, data analysis and final reports for the Smart Neighborhood project.

The partnership with Georgia Power is another example of PulteGroup's commitment to sustainability. The first 46 townhomes developed at Altus at the Quarter will be a part of the Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood and will feature the Hutton floor plan featuring 2,349+ sq. ft. four-story townhome with 3-4 bedrooms and 2-car garage. The community is located at the intersection of Marietta Boulevard and Bolton Drive. Development is underway with the grand opening scheduled for later this year. Click here to learn more.

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

About PulteGroup
PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of America's largest homebuilding companies with operations in approximately 50 markets throughout the country.  Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, the company is one of the industry's most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand.  PulteGroup conducts extensive research to provide homebuyers with innovative solutions and consumer inspired homes and communities to make lives better. For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to pultegroupinc.com; www.pulte.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com; www.divosta.com and www.jwhomes.com.  Follow PulteGroup, Inc. on Twitter: @PulteGroupNews.

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SOURCE Georgia Power