City of Aurora, Nicor Gas Unveil New Exhibit on Smart Cities at City Hall

Exhibit spotlights new Smart Neighborhoods^™ collaboration between Nicor Gas, Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity and the City of Aurora

AURORA, Ill., Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Aurora and Nicor Gas announced today the unveiling of a new educational exhibit on Smart Cities on the first floor of the Development Services Building at City Hall. The ribbon cutting for the new exhibit will take place on February 14, 2024.

The exhibit tells the story of how smart and connected technologies, when combined with smart energy strategies, are creating a more sustainable City of Aurora. The exhibit also showcases the new Nicor Gas Smart Neighborhoods^™, an affordable net zero community being built in Aurora in cooperation with Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. The community fiber services provider, OnLight Aurora, will be playing a strategic role in laying the communications infrastructure for the development.

"Aurora is focused on IT, innovation, and ingenuity as we strive to be the smartest city in America," said Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin. "The Aurora-based Nicor Gas Smart Neighborhood is a beacon of light and leadership in smart energy solutions, and its accompanying new educational exhibit will help to inform and inspire our community."

"We are so pleased to announce the opening of this new educational exhibit to help tell the story of how innovation in natural gas plays a key role in our country's overall energy strategy – and is essential in creating an affordable and sustainable future for Illinois," said Meena Beyers, vice president of community & business development at Nicor Gas.

Learn more about the Nicor Gas Smart Neighborhoods^™ at NGSmartNeighborhoods.com.

About Nicor Gas
Nicor Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Nicor Gas serves more than 2.3 million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit nicorgas.com.

About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

About Southern Company Smart Neighborhoods^™ 
Smart Neighborhoods is a trademarked brand of Southern Company, the ultimate parent company of Nicor Gas. Smart Neighborhoods advance energy technologies that work together as a part of an affordable, reliable clean energy economy. They lead to job creation, diverse business partnerships, economic development, and green transportation. The Aurora community will be the first Smart Neighborhood to be built in Illinois and will launch a two-year research study to examine how natural gas can be part of the solution toward meeting net zero energy goals. Learn more at ngsmartneighborhoods.com.

SOURCE Nicor Gas