Smart homes already help us conserve energy and live more comfortably. Lighting control, such as motion sensors in closets, automatically turns off the lights when the door is closed. Programmable zone thermostats save both natural resources and utility costs, and some thermostats today are even programmed to respond to relative humidity. Undoubtedly natural resources will be less plentiful in the future, so alternative energy solutions and energy conservation will be an integral part of architects' designs. So continue to think green, think environmental impact.

Technology of the future will further increase our comfort and amenities levels. The media-savvy generations of future homeowners who are accustomed to instant personal gratification, already demand more "on demand" services. Technology will incorporate and integrate unprecedented and almost unlimited control, convenience and flexibility.

Security will be more elaborate and will be embedded with technology. So how will you get into your house? Certainly not with an outdated key or key pad! Think scanners. Biometric technology today has already eliminated keys, codes, and worries by giving us fingerprint scans. In the future, retina scans, along with breath, voice, and bone scans, will all enhance security.

Centralized wireless systems will integrate and automate everything from lighting to air quality. What will you first notice as you enter your house? For starters, it's the perfect temperature for you and the ideal humidity, and there's a gentle wafting aroma of freshly baked apple pie (or whatever desirable fragrance you prefer.) Your house will be able to "self-diagnose", analyze its own air quality, and adjust it accordingly for temperature, humidity, air exchange, airflow, and filtration.

As you walk through your house, the technology system creates room ambiances, so that as you enter different rooms, lighting, climate control, music, and fragrances will automatically adjust to your personal preferences. Window blinds open or close, fans switch to high or low settings, appliances turn on or off, all depending on your exact predetermined settings.

Tired of the scenery? Want a quick get-away? Something different? At the touch of a button, a flat screen drops down in front of each window, and you can enjoy the beach or mountains or pastoral settings in any country of the world, along with self-selected weather and appropriate sound effects for rain and wind.

You can modify settings by accessing inset control panels located throughout the house. Or, you may prefer voice activation instead. How about some major modifications? Want to move a doorway? Redecorate? Eliminate a wall? Change the digital artwork? Add a fireplace? Presto! It's done.

How does all this happen? Software. Smart talk. The home's multiple components and systems "talk" to each other to keep equipment operating at its optimum set level of performance. Embrace home technology! It's the wave of the future. Are you ready for it?