“Using the Right Choice program from Jackson EMC is the right thing for us. That helps with the cost savings of making the house more energy efficient.” - Dan Xiong, Right Choice™ Homeowner

With a multi-generational family living in the same house, Dan Xiong knew his household energy use would likely be higher. When it came time to build a new home, he selected a builder familiar with Jackson EMC’s Right Choice™ new home program.

“Using the Right Choice program from Jackson EMC is the right thing for us,” Xiong said. “That helps with the cost savings of making the house more energy efficient.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by home builders who construct new homes to Right Choice’s construction standards for energy efficiency and comfort.

“You’re gaining a lot more energy efficiency with everything you use in the home – every time you turn on a light bulb, every time you change the temperature on the thermostat. It’s going to be amore energy efficient house with Right Choice,” said Mark Findley, construction manager of Premier Residential Builders.

Right Choice homes are built exclusively in Jackson EMC’s service area. For a home to be certified as a Right Choice home, it must meet stringent criteria set by Jackson EMC for energy efficient construction, beginning with the initial home plan design and continuing throughout the building process. The home builder, HVAC and insulation contractors, and Jackson EMC Right Choice technicians work together to ensure the home meets these standards with testing at every phase of construction.

Right Choice homes come with two warranties: A three-year energy usage warranty that guarantees heating and cooling costs will not exceed the predicted amount; and a one-year comfort guarantee that each room will stay within three degrees of the thermostat setting for that zone.Jackson EMC’s lowest residential electric rate is part of the Right Choice new home program, saving homeowners an average of 5% on energy costs for the life of the home.

Nathan Whitmire of Southernwood Homes builds custom homes in northeast Georgia. Since each house has a unique design, he depends on Jackson EMC’s expertise to ensure homes are energy efficient. “Any time we get a client that’s in Jackson EMC’s area, we want to do Right Choice because that’s a top-notch product,” Whitmire said.

In Hall County, the Mundy Mill community is one of the largest residential developments in Georgia.Homes built in Mundy Mill are part of Jackson EMC’s Right Choice new home program. “What our customers value most is the comfort of the home as well as the savings on energy costs,” said Eric Chafin, division president of Chafin Communities,which is building Mundy Mill.

Jackson EMC has been offering its Right Choice new home program since 2004. This spring, the cooperative certified its 10,000th local home constructed under the Right Choice new home program.

Each Right Choice Home Is:

• Designed by engineers to calculate properly sized heating and air conditioning installation design to achieve maximum efficiency levels.
• Tested for home performance to prove energy efficient construction is working. Not only do Right Choice homes adhere to high construction standards, but independent third-party testing confirms the efficiency of the building envelope and equipment efficiency levels.
• Certified with a one-year comfort warranty and a three-year energy usage warranty for the heating and cooling system.
• Billed at Jackson EMC's energy advantage rate designed to save the homeowner approximately 5% on their annual energy bill for the life of the home. Ex: If the average monthly bill is $200, the savings would be $120 per year.

For more information, visit jacksonemc.com/rightchoice.