Have you ever wondered what your perfect home would look like? Now, you can get a pretty good idea. You see, every year, Southern Living creates the perfect home to show just how comfortable, beautiful and enjoyable a house can be.

Known as the Southern Living^® Idea House, this customized dwelling features a collection of the newest thinking in furniture, furnishings, appliances and decorations, all overseen by skilled stylists and interior decorators. The environment this house creates is one of striking beauty and superb comfort. Because an environment isn't truly enjoyable if it's too warm, too cold or too humid. To create air that is as enjoyable as the rest of the home, Southern Living selected Lennox^® equipment to complete their vision.

Heating equipment

The Lennox SLP98V in the Southern Living Idea House is the quietest high-efficiency furnace you can buy (in 2015).^* It's also extremely energy efficient. The SLP98V offers an AFUE rating of up to 98.7, meaning it converts up to 98.7% of the fuel it burns into heat you can feel. So on cold winter nights, a home with an SLP98V will be filled with quiet, cozy warmth. And no matter how cold the weather gets, the SLP98V will still offer energy-smart operation.

Cooling equipment

The Southern Living Idea House is located in Charleston, Virginia. This puts it in a moderate to warm climate, which places an extra importance on cooling equipment. Several cooling solutions are installed in the Southern Living Idea House, each offering exceptional performance and energy-smart operation.

The XC25 Air Conditioner

As the most precise and efficient air conditioner you can buy (in 2015),^** the XC25 offers exceptional cooling power and temperature control. Yet even when it's operating in extremely hot weather, it's so quiet that it's almost hard to hear. The XC25 differs from many conventional air conditioners in its ability to modulate, or adjust, its cooling output to one of 65 different speeds. Since it can ramp compressor speed up and down based on demand, it will always use just the right amount of electricity. By contrast, other air conditioners typically operate at only one or two different speeds, meaning they are usually using more electricity than is absolutely necessary.

The CBX40UHV Air Handler

Because it's in a warmer climate, the Southern Living Idea House also features the CBX40UHV*** air handler. Used primarily to circulate cool air in the summer, or warm air from a heat pump in the winter, the CBX40UHV* is the quietest and most efficient air handler you can buy.

The CBX32MV Air Handler

To demonstrate the flexibility of Lennox equipment, the Southern Living Idea House also features the CBX32MV*** air handler. This high-efficiency air handler can adapt to nearly any installation requirement, as it can be mounted either horizontally or vertically with minimal modification.

The PureAir^™ Air Purification System

Comfortable temperatures are only part of the equation. To create a truly wonderful indoor environment, the air must also be clean and fresh. To accomplish this, the Southern Living Idea House features PureAir purification that cleans the air better than any single system you can buy. PureAir uses multiple types of technology working in unison to combat the three main types of indoor air pollution, which are particles, germs and chemical fumes/odors.

• Particles

  Filtration from a MERV 16* Carbon Clean^™ media filter captures 99.9% of all pollen, mold spores, dust mites and pet dander.

• Germs

  PureAir's UV lights remove harmful bacteria and viruses before they can circulate.

• Chemicals and Odors

  The catalyst plate found inside PureAir removes chemical fumes and odors from sources such as cleaning products, adhesives, new carpet and even chemical vapors from the garage.

iHarmony^™ Zoning

The Lennox system chosen for the Southern Living Idea House isn't just comfortable, it's also remarkably consistent. It uses an iHarmony^™ zoning system to help keep temperatures even, steady and perfect in every room in the home. An iHarmony Zoning system divides the home into four different areas, or zones, each with its own independent temperature control. Motorized dampers in the ductwork open and close to redirect airflow exactly where it's needed to preserve set temperatures and comfort.

The iComfort Wi-Fi^® Thermostat

With such a capable and sophisticated system, no ordinary control would suffice. So the heating, air conditioning and air purification in the Southern Living Idea House is controlled by the sophisticated iComfort Wi-Fi^® Thermostat. And that means some pretty advanced things.

• Precision:

  Working with the heating and cooling capabilities of the XC25 and SLP98V, the iComfort Wi-Fi can hold temperatures to within one half of a degree or less.

• Convenience:

  Since it's connected to a wireless network, the iComfort Wi-Fi works with the mobile app to allow remote monitoring and adjustment of temperatures via smartphone, tablet or other web-enabled device.

• Alerts and Reminders:

  To keep comfort coming, the iComfort Wi-Fi can automatically send alerts to a homeowner whenever a problem is detected, or whenever regular maintenance or filter changes are needed.

• Weather Alerts:

  To make sure homeowners are prepared for the day, the iComfort Wi-Fi features live weather alerts and a five-day forecast.

• Automatic Updates:

  The latest functions and features are always available thanks to the iComfort Wi-Fi's ability to update itself automatically.

See more for yourself.

There is some pretty amazing comfort technology on display at the Southern Living Idea House. And some inspiring ideas for making your own home more beautiful and enjoyable. To learn more about the Southern Living Idea House, please visit /about/sponsorships/southern-living-idea-houses. Or, learn more about Lennox' full line of innovative Lennox products.

• * Based on sound pressure levels during steady-state, high-fire and low-fire operation of Lennox SLP98UH070XV36B and leading competitive units as of July 2013 at mid-point temperature rise and minimum external static pressure when set up per Section 4.4.4 of AHRI 260-2012. Based on AFUE efficiency rating of Lennox SLP98UH090XV60C and leading competitive units listed in AHRI directory as of March 2015. Efficiency ratings established per test standard ANSI/ASHRAE 103-2007.
• ** Efficiency claim based on comparison of air conditioning and heat pump products' SEER as published in AHRI (January 2013). Actual system combination efficient may vary; consult a Lennox Dealer or AHRI for exact system efficiencies. Precision claim based on the cooling capacity range of the XC/XP25-036 units as compared to equivalent-sized competitive variable capacity compressor units.
• *** The CBX40UHV and CBX32MV air handlers have been replaced by the CBA38MV, the quietest and most efficient air handler you can buy.