The look and the design of modern houses may not have changed much over the decades, but building the homes of the future will require a new level of technical sophistication.
In terms of look and functionality, there isn’t much difference between a house built today and one built a decade ago, or even a century ago. The styles have morphed along with the times, but a house from 1917 isn’t all that different from a house built in 2017, at least from the outside. The interiors, however, are a much different story.
From insulation to the materials used, houses are more efficient than ever before – but that’s just the start. Within the next few years and decades, while houses may maintain a familiar shape, the homes of the future will offer amenities that owners and builders even a few years ago would never have dreamed possible.
Some advancements are already being included in a handful of homes, some are just theoretical at the moment. Either way, here are a few things you might see in the homes of the future.
Energy Conversion in the Homes of the Future
Houses are already becoming more and more energy efficient, but there is a point coming when they won’t just be efficient, they will be capable of producing and storing energy on their own, possibly even creating a surplus. While some of the entries on this list are things that may happen within the next few years, this one might be coming as soon as this summer.
Tesla recently announced the release of its solar roof tiles, which double as solar panels. The tiles look like a standard shingle (with a little extra shine), and they absorb solar power. When paired with a Tesla PowerWall battery, the energy is stored and used as needed. The goal is to make the process so efficient that buildings generate more energy than the occupants need. The excess will then be sold to the state to power other homes. So not only are the homeowners creating a green, pollution free cycle, they are also helping others to use renewable energy. It’s a win all around, and while Tesla is leading the way it is far from alone in developing this technology.
In the future, houses may not just generate energy, they will provide it to others as part of a vast network. And that’s not just a possibility, that’s coming later this year.
Fully Connected Houses
While some of the other entries on this list are still theoretical, like the energy efficient houses we’re already starting to see the introduction of connected houses. And they are only going to go further in that direction.
It’s one thing to design a house so you can always get a strong wi-fi signal, but that’s just the start. In the very near future, it will be common for a house to have a centralized computer, even a personal server, and wi-fi blanketing every corner of the property where physical cables aren’t possible. From that, every TV in the house could share the same content, digital picture frames could display rotating images, and any connected device could control every aspect. It goes beyond that though.
We’re not far off from homeowners being able to control everything on their phones – everything. From the temperature to the lights to receiving notifications when your laundry is done, you’ll have it all at the touch of your fingertips. You’ll even be able to cast content from your phone to a TV and back again and you will be able to do it anywhere. Maybe it’s a cold day and you want to turn on the heater from work so you come home to a warm house, or you want to check the inventory of your refrigerator to see what you need to grab while at the store. Just give it time.
This won’t just be the providence of the homes of the future. Look for them much sooner than that. And if that’s your dream, contact a contractor today and see how close they can get you.
Habitat Control
Almost by their very nature homes offer habitat control. When it’s cold outside, insulation keeps the house warm, and a heater can make a cold day seem like something that’s happening elsewhere. When it is windy, a home is a respite from the weather, when it rains you remain dry, etc. But in the days to come, the homes of the future will go much further than that.
If you suffer from allergies, one day you’ll be able to come home and your house will filter out the pollens. Many houses can protect you from pollens and allergens now just by keeping you isolated from them, but in the near future a computerized system will be able to monitor the air quality and adjust the internal habitat to benefit your personal allergies.
To take it one step further, imagine a system that can sense how comfortably you are sleeping and change the conditions to match your preferences – and not just temperature, but humidity as well. You’ll wonder how you ever slept through the night without it.
Learning Houses and Artificial Intelligence
It’s really just a matter of time until every house has its own artificial intelligence. One day, people will come home and make a few decisions based on their mood. The AI, in turn, will take care of the rest. It can order you food, offer you a selection of TV shows to watch, let you know the big news of the day, and so much more.
Take that a step further and your personal AI assistant can monitor your house for you and tell you anything you need to know via your phone. It can let you know when packages arrive, identify who comes to your door using facial recognition, and monitor the efficiency of your house – even offer suggestions on how to make your house more efficient to save you money. Your home will have a personality, and you will be able to take a piece of it with you on a connected device.
Before we get to that point, however, you may first see rudimentary AI – or more accurately “learning machines” attached to homes and offices. They won’t be nearly as sophisticated as what we popularly consider AI, but they will be powerful software tools that can improve as they go. It might not be able to hold a conversation with you, but it may be able to gauge your mood based on your physical mannerisms and play music that matches how you feel. And if the software gets it wrong and you tell it so, it will learn from that and do better the next time.
Interactive software like that is probably years away from all but the ultra-rich, but don’t be surprised to see some form of comprehensive software that controls all the basic house functions and monitors your home for you in the near future.
Robot-Assisted Kitchens
Imagine coming home late one night, craving something decent to eat but lacking the energy to commit to a lengthy bout of cooking. What if you could just pull out the ingredients and tell your kitchen what to make, or you could just tell it to make something based on what you have lying around? That may seem like something out of a sci-fi novel or TV show, but you can actually see it in action today.
This one is still very much in the prototype stages, but multiple companies are developing a kitchen robot that can cook meals for you. The robotic arms either record you in action cooking once and remember the actions for later, or they call on a library of existing recordings from professional chefs. The robotic arms will almost certainly have trouble with delicate dishes (souffles, for example, are tough on even skilled chefs), and don’t be surprised if you catch the odd piece of egg shell in your omelet, but telling your kitchen what to make and when, and then simply showing up to collect your food is an amazing idea.
Don’t expect this in the near future, but it could be a reality soon. If you’d like to talk to a contractor about what is possible now and how you should prepare for the future, contact Fleschner now and we’ll let you know what your options are.