Hugh McDowell and his wife Betty are one of two families occupying homes in the Forest Creek Community in Gainesville. But it isn't your typical home in your typical subdivision. It is the home of the future, and when all is said and done, Forest Creek will have 28 energy efficient homes.

Project Developer Richard Schackow says the Department of Energy is testing the energy level on all of the homes that are built. After testing the energy level on new homes, they found that only one in 1,000 meet the low energy guidelines. People who have already moved into these homes can verify that one of the greatest perks is the low cost of electricity. "I just looked at my bills since we've been here, and they've ranged from $13 in May, my net energy electric bill, to $70 dollars this last month", says Hugh McDowell.

The Department of Energy guarantees that the electric bill on all of the homes in Forest Creek will be under $80. Most of the houses will be about 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 2 car garage. State of the art energy efficient appliances are helping keep the electric bill low and with all these bells and whistles the future of low energy homes is now.