DEVELOPERS AND TECHIES ARE CASHING IN ON AMERICA’S ADDICTION TO HOMES OF THE FUTURE… TODAY.
WORDS BY D. HEIMPEL
Before Will West fell asleep in his hotel room, he checked his email. Having two teenage children, West wanted to know when they went to sleep. The email his home sent told him that his son turned in at 10:52 and that his daughter was out shortly after midnight.
“I have the system programmed to tell me when the kids turn out the lights.”
West is talking about 4 Site, the latest application from his company, Control 4, which specializes in home automation. “If I had slept at home, 
the system would have woken me up with some soft classical music that would grow louder and switch to the news. The heater would have started running 20 minutes before I got up so that the temperature would be just right.” When West goes to the bathroom, he is sure to have the lights preset at 60%. “But by the time I’m ready to shave, with a sharp object in my hand, the lights are at full brightness,” he says.
All across America, in new constructions as well as old renovations, homeowners are starting to demand the high level of technological sophistication that West’s company offers. Developers and technicians are cashing in on innovations that allow for remote control of your home and the ability to have every command at your fingertips.
“We are doing a small house in West Hollywood with almost $90,000 in digital technology,” says Scott Rousso, the owner of Sound Decision, a company specializing in the electronic upgrade of homes. “The house is only worth a million. It’s a freak, but it might be an indication.”
In today’s home, what is driving innovation isn’t just high tech gadgetry, it’s also the integration of new systems. An average coffee table holds 4.5 remote controls, according to Parks Associates, a market research firm specializing in home automation. With new technologies, homeowners can have a truly universal remote control, not far off from the omnipotent device Adam Sandler used in the movie Click.
The home automation industry started gaining steam three to four years ago, according to Daryl Delano, the Director of Research at EH Publishing, which prints consumer and trade magazines dedicated to the digital home. The 75,000-copy circulation of EH’s Electronic House Magazine is a sure indicator of interest in the high-teching of homes.
Dealers who sell and install high tech gadgets and integration systems say they saw their business grow by 17% in 2005 and anticipate the same level of growth this year, according to a survey by EH Publishing. That number is optimistic, according to Delano. “But that’s still well above the margins for average consumer products.”
One reason for the tempered optimism is the availability of the technology. For example, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition allows for entertainment data stored on a PC’s hard drive to be pumped throughout the house using a server. But before that can really take off, the number of homes connected via broadband will have to grow, and consumers will have to develop more acuity with the new technologies.
“Only 10 million homes, 1.5% of the market, are using server technology for their entertainment needs,” says Harry Wong, a Research Analyst for Park Associates. Right now, 43 million homes are equipped with broadband, according to Wong. That number is anticipated to double by 2010, and with more tech-savvy homebuyers entering the marketplace, Wong believes this will continue to fuel the home automation industry.
In Orange County, CA, KB Home is developing a portion of the old Irvine Ranch, a plot of land that covers one third of the county. Only a few homes have been built in what will eventually be its own suburban village, with 18 parks, seven pools and a fire station. And while the community may sound old-fashioned, the homes being developed by KB Home aren’t like the ones the company built when it was founded in 1957.
“Now, the buyers come in knowing more than I do about the technology,” says Jason Brantell, a KB Home sales agent.
The third floor is reserved for an enormous plasma screen TV. A central intercom is affixed to the wall, and an outlet to a centralized vacuum system protrudes near the floor. One level down, in the master bedroom’s walk-in closet, behind a sheet metal cover, is the house’s brain. The endless spools of wire that cling to the home’s inner frame all meet here, controlling heat, lighting, music, Internet—everything.
Technology packages at Bougainvillea, KB Home’s new community in Orange County, include pre-wiring for centralized speakers, satellite dishes and plasma screens. The wiring alone can add $4,400 to the price of a house, according to KB Home spokesperson Cameron Triebwasser.
Electronics companies across the board are all trying to get into home integration because of potential profits like that. Some homes have ovens that you can turn on with an email. There are robotic vacuums and there is even talk of laundry systems that can be operated by cell phone. But according to some, home automation shouldn’t be taken too far.
West warns homeowners to be wary of automating everything under the roof. “You could completely trick out a house, but do you need to?” he asks. “A refrigerator is meant to keep food cold, and that’s it.”
West says home automation is about the lifestyle; a lifestyle that has been traditionally reserved for those with the means to live it. But as the technology becomes more available and prices come down, general market consumers will be able to enjoy the entirely integrated homes. Control 4’s base level entertainment system runs $595 with a $99 a month service charge. It’s only a matter of time before we all have a digital home.
“More and more, high technology is becoming an expectation.”