News To Know: Smart Homes

Imagine if you could customize your home they way you create a computer. Not a chef? Cut out the kitchen and add a sun room. Are those stairs getting to be a dangerous challenge? Add a bedroom on the ground floor. While this might sound either crazy expensive or just crazy, in the near future it might be neither. As I write this, people are working on designing modular homes in which rooms could be added or removed in a matter of days, not weeks or months.
The advances in home design go far beyond modular homes. Environmentally friendly homes have come a long way recently. Check out this smart home which monitors its electricity use (it's a really small number). Solar panels on the roof generate most of the electricity needed, and sensors that open windows to let in a breeze to cool the house and reduce air conditioner use. All of the systems in this house are monitored through a computer and can be viewed by the owner on a screen. Now that we have houses that can take care of themselves, all we need is a house that will pay for itself!