KB Home integrating Schneider Electric’s Energy Center in California development
Schneider Electric announced a partnership with KB Home last week, one of the largest homebuilders in the United States. Schneider Electric will provide grid-to-plug innovation in KB Home’s new Sundance at Park Circle community in Valley Center, California. These homes will incorporate the Square D Energy Center and connected Wiring Devices, which will offer greater levels of control, energy efficiency and resiliency for new homebuyers.
“Higher utility costs and intermittent power shut offs have become the reality for many California residents, significantly impacting their quality of life and that of their families,” said Richard Korthauer, Vice President, Home & Distribution, Schneider Electric. “From working and schooling from home to just managing their day-to-day activities, the demands for residential energy has never been higher. Together, we are helping KB Home meet this customer need with new innovations designed for today’s energy challenges, delivering safe, reliable and resilient power for homeowners.”
KB Home is the only national builder to have earned awards under all of EPA’s homebuilder programs, including ENERGY STAR, WaterSense, which establishes water efficiency standards, and Indoor airPLUS, which focuses on indoor air quality. Schneider Electric’s Square D Energy Center won the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2020 Global Innovation Award for its ability to create a smarter, safer, more connected and more efficient home.
How it works: The Square D Energy Center enables the convergence, scalability and optimization of residential distributed energy resources, including utility power, solar power, energy storage, future smart home devices and generators. This solution empowers homeowners to take an active role in their home energy management, conveniently through the Wiser Energy app. Energy use can be monitored in real time, usage costs can be compared to utility rates for optimal savings and power sources can be easily changed to battery or generator backup sources ensuring resiliency. It also enhances safety with whole-home surge protection and custom alerts for potential issues, like when an oven has been left on unintentionally.
This community will also be the first to feature Square D X Series and XD Series wiring devices. This line of connected light switches, dimmers and outlets will not only automate the home’s lighting, but also allow discrete control of power at the plug level. With embedded sensors that monitor energy consumption, these devices complete the grid-to-plug solution offering greater insight into energy down to the device level, allowing homeowners to better optimize their energy use. These new devices raise the bar on aesthetics, safety and functionality, and are controllable from a smartphone or through Alexa and Google Home voice activation.
“The needs of our homebuyers have evolved in recent years, going beyond the smart home trends to focus on practical solutions that will make their homes safer, more comfortable, and more efficient,” said Dan Bridleman, KB Home’s Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Technology and Strategic Sourcing. “We are proud to be working with Schneider Electric to offer homeowners new solutions that are designed to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and convenient tools to help them take control of their home energy usage and create a more sustainable and resilient home.”
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