The smarter home, an intelligent idea waiting to happen. The problem of course is the cost to retro fit existing homes or to get home builders to get onboard and put the systems in at the design stage.

Maybe, a likely target market might be the manufactured home segment. Factory made housing can change design and implement new technology quickly. At minimal cost , integrated electronics and devices could be installed, creating not only great PR for the industry but creating incentive for traditional builders to follow suit.

You have a good point, but at this stage of the technology, I doubt this will be happening anytime soon. It has come a long way since it was conceptualized, and I do think it's a good idea, but I have a feeling that a relatively few can shell out the money for all the hardware in the first place. Most people I know would love this tech (as do I) but it's just not within the budget for practical reasons.

The ability to do all of this stuff has be in "concept" form for decades (eg. see Bill Gates' house of the future or watch Star Trek), but what this technology really needs is a way for it all to work without homeowners having to buy a LOT of expensive new hardware to accommodate it. Most US homes have an inefficient water boiler sitting in the garage or basement just keeping water hot for whenever someone might want to take a shower or do some dishes. Switching to heating water on demand would be great -- but it requires some plumbing changes. So until homes are constructed with a bit more modularity for heating/cooling systems, these smart devices will probably stay in the realm of tech conferences and demonstrations....

I'm guessing not!

Bill Gates' house has incredible smart technology - a pin every visitor wears, so when they enter a room, the environment is customized to their tastes - temperature, lighting, ambient music, maybe even aroma.  I wonder if he appreciates the cost savings he realizes by zone-heating individual rooms.

Wow... those are sizable savings. For a business, especially a midsize or large company, those could be huge. Thanks for sharing the numbers! Definitely an incentive.

I am currently taking advantage of a program for home energy efficiency.  The reduction in cost for services is 30%, with an estimated savings of $1000/month above that. 

I would imagine the cost benefits to businesses would be significant in areas of security, building safety, etc.

Which leads to an obvious question: Who will pay for all this? I hope enough evidence comes out early about the cost-savings so insurers will pay, where applicable, or technologies are added into new construction so costs can be amortized across mortgages (and savings garnered via reduced utilities etc.). You'd think, too, the government could be encouraged to give tax breaks--but i know those progams aren't always that successful (solar panel programs have run into trouble, and so have some hybrid car tax rebates--i speak from personal experience about the latter!). 

Great points.  How about air quality?  The flu is rampant in 41 states in the US.  How about a way to detect and "clean" the air quality?  If carbon monoxide can be detected, perhaps so can germs?

True: Like many people, we have a guest room that goes unused for a good portion of the year -- yet it gets heated and (mostly) air-conditioned throughout the year to the same degree as the rest of the house. And I'd really love to be able to regulate the temperature in the kitchen (which is near the thermostat) so it doesn't alter the temp throughout the entire home, including those rooms far from the oven!! No matter how much we use the exhaust and ceiling fans, the kitchen is always warmer when I roast a chicken or use the oven for any length of time, especially in the summer. Living in Florida, that can be a problem! And BBQs are great, but I don't want that almost year-round!