Welcome to the Nicor Gas Smart Neighborhood Show Home
The Nicor Gas Show Home is a groundbreaking demonstration of energy-efficient living.
Designed to showcase smart technologies, diverse energy sources working together and
advanced building design, this home offers a glimpse into the future of residential
energy solutions.
Click on the rooms below to learn more.
1 Hallway
The ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential helps ensure home comfort with its easy-to-use touchscreen and seamless app experience—and may deliver up to $250 in energy savings per year. Nicor Gas selected this thermostat because of its brand recognition and proven performance. ecobee is a leader in the field of smart home, delivering products that not only learn, adjust and adapt to your needs, but fade into the background to become a part of your life.
2 Conference Room
The homes were designed to result in fewer emissions and provide resilience during extreme weather, all while saving homeowners energy and money. This is based on research conducted in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The NREL team simulated 20+ technology combinations to find the one that was most affordable and most efficient and could achieve net zero energy and emissions. The simulation results show that the most affordable and most resilient path to net zero in the Illinois region is a home that includes electric, natural gas AND renewables as part of a larger energy portfolio. In fact, as reflected in the simulation, the design of the Smart Neighborhood homes saves more in energy bills annually and has lower carbon emissions than all-electric homes of the same size.
Results are taken from the NREL report titled, “Updated Report for the Natural Gas Community of the Future.” Figures are based on simulation analysis of new homes (approximately 1,150 square feet) to be constructed in the Chicago suburban area. Energy prices, grid carbon intensities and weather profiles are based on March 2023–April 2024 data.
3 Bathroom
There are many ways you can save money and energy in your own home! From replacing showerheads to adding an aerator to your sink, Nicor Gas has great tips and tricks to make your home more energy efficient.
4 Office
By studying energy use in the homes, Nicor Gas hopes to provide valuable insights into how natural gas integrates with electricity and renewables to support clean energy solutions.
Take a moment to watch the video that dives into the research project’s goals.
5 Laundry & Mechanical Room
This natural gas furnace from GE Appliances delivers precise comfort with minimal energy use. “97% AFUE” means 97 percent of the energy is used to heat the home. With GE Appliances as a project collaborator, Nicor Gas can evaluate how high-efficiency natural gas systems can contribute to lowering household energy use and shape the future of sustainable home heating. And since this furnace converts nearly all the fuel into usable heat, it demonstrates how advanced heating technology can deliver both comfort and efficiency—especially in Illinois’ cold climate.
The Rheem tankless water heater delivers endless hot water only when it’s needed—no standby energy loss like traditional tanks. Rheem has a strong track record in high-efficiency natural gas technology and innovation. Their tankless systems align with the Smart Neighborhood’s focus on comfort and performance. By choosing a trusted leader like Rheem, Nicor Gas can showcase how advanced natural gas solutions provide reliability, efficiency and long-term value for homeowners.
This HRV system keeps the home fresh, dry and comfortable by continuously circulating clean air in and pushing stale air out. In homes that use ICF walls and create a tight air seal, proper ventilation is key. Broan-NuTone’s HRV-100, part of its new AI series, offers the most efficient mechanical and technological components in one unit. Featuring their VIRTUO™ Air Technology and the MERV8 filter, this HRV provides fresh air in any season and in any installation situation. With their strong reputation in residential indoor air quality, Broan-NuTone was an easy choice when searching for a company that could bring increased energy efficiency to the Smart Neighborhood.
The smart GE Appliances washer and dryer system allows homeowners to receive alerts and notifications, change settings and control the appliances right from a phone or tablet with the SmartHQ app—all while optimizing water use and cycle time. Smart appliances like these provide valuable insights into how connected technology can enhance home efficiency and sustainability. Chosen for their proven reliability, innovation and energy-saving design, the GE Appliances products align with the Smart Neighborhood’s focus on smart, efficient living.
The Generac PWRcell Solar Battery Storage system is a high-capacity home battery designed for solar-plus-storage and backup power applications. Together with the rooftop solar panels, this battery can provide the homeowner with reliable backup power, lower energy bills and greater energy independence. Generac as a brand has shown strong performance and seamless integration with solar systems, making it an ideal choice for studying how advanced energy storage can improve home resilience.
6 Kitchen & Dining Room
Nicor Gas selected GE Appliances’ smart refrigerator, oven/range and dishwasher for their reliability and the brand’s overall leadership in connected home technology. With a trusted household brand like GE Appliances, homeowners can experience the benefits of automation with SmartHQ on their phone or tablet with features like remote monitoring, energy-saving features and greater control, while helping ensure the appliances stand up to everyday use. These smart appliances help demonstrate how technology can make homes more efficient, convenient and long-lasting.
When the GE Appliances’ range and oven is paired with the Broan-NuTone hood, homeowners will have a kitchen that is clean and fresh. This combo also enhances the overall efficiency of the home. Broan-NuTone range hoods are engineered for powerful airflow that efficiently removes smoke, steam, grease and odors. With their sleek, modern design, the range hood from Broan complements the overall kitchen aesthetic.
7 Living Room
Watch our video about the Nicor Gas Smart Neighborhood journey
ICF walls offer superior thermal performance and airtightness, creating a continuous insulation barrier that can minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. This helps heating and cooling systems run more efficiently, which can lower energy use and monthly bills. BuildBlock Building System’s ICFs help enhance home efficiency, providing valuable insights for Nicor Gas on how high-performance materials can contribute to lower energy demand and improved comfort. These insights will help shape future energy efficiency strategies for homeowners.
The double-pane windows feature two layers of glass separated by an insulating air-filled space, helping to reduce heat transfer and improving overall comfort in the home. The windows help maintain consistent indoor temperatures, which can lower heating and cooling demands throughout the year. They play a key role in enhancing the home’s efficiency, minimizing drafts and supporting long-term energy savings.
8 Primary Bathroom
Quiet, powerful and efficient, this exhaust fan from Broan-NuTone helps improve indoor air quality while using less electricity than standard fans. Nicor Gas included Broan-NuTone’s bathroom fans to help ensure indoor air quality while maintaining energy efficiency. By teaming up with Broan-NuTone, a trusted leader in ventilation, Nicor Gas can evaluate how these air management systems support homeowner well-being and overall energy performance in the Smart Neighborhood homes.
9 Garage
SPAN panel transforms your home’s traditional breaker box into a connected home hub. With the SPAN Home app, homeowners can monitor energy use, control circuits remotely and prioritize power during outages. Integrated with the SPAN Drive Level 2 EV Charger, it optimizes charging for cost and sustainability—helping to make the home more efficient, resilient and easier to manage every day.
With expertise in energy management and customer-facing applications, SPAN makes it easy for customers to manage their energy use from their phone or tablet. By teaming up with SPAN, Nicor Gas helps ensure that each Smart Neighborhood home is ready for the future of connected energy.
10 Outside
Rooftop solar panels are a renewable energy source that can provide improved reliability and affordability when coupled with a battery, as they reduce strain on the electric grid. When paired with a Generac battery, they offer a powerful combination for energy independence and resiliency. The solar panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, while the Generac battery stores excess energy for later use, helping ensure a steady power supply even during grid outages.
By transferring heat instead of generating it, this heat pump from GE Appliances provides efficient heating in cooler months and reliable cooling in the summer. Nicor Gas selected GE Appliances’ air source heat pump to explore how electric heating and cooling technologies can complement natural gas in a dual fuel home. This collaboration between GE Appliances and Nicor Gas allows the utility to study real-world performance and better understand how the two energy systems can work together to create flexible, efficient and resilient homes for the future.
The Generac Home Standby Generator provides automatic, whole-home backup power during outages, helping to ensure uninterrupted comfort. Fueled by natural gas, it delivers reliable, efficient performance. Generac is an industry expert in reliable backup power and energy storage solutions. By providing both natural gas generators and the Solar Battery Storage system, Generac can work with Nicor Gas to demonstrate how different technologies can work together to help ensure resilient, efficient homes. As a leader in power reliability, Generac brings proven performance and trusted innovation, showing how natural gas and storage can complement renewable energy while giving homeowners confidence that their homes will stay powered under any conditions.
This inverter pairs with the Generac PWRcell battery in the laundry room and the rooftop solar panels, which can provide the homeowner with reliable backup power, lower energy bills and greater energy independence. Generac as a brand has shown strong performance and seamless integration with solar systems, making it an ideal choice for studying how advanced energy storage can improve home resilience.
Fiber broadband service has been provided by OnLight Aurora and the City of Aurora.