Posted on Thu, Aug. 15, 2002

       Smart homes

       It's sometimes difficult to find serendipity when opposing
       philosophies clash.

       Such is the case with upgraded housing standards now being studied
       by the Arlington City Council.

       Some council members are concerned that relatively low-cost new
       residential construction will lower city property tax revenues for
       decades. And they're right.

       Some council members worry that toughening standards - including
       minimum square footage, higher-quality construction materials and
       larger lot sizes - will make new construction too costly. And
       they're right.

       Judging from an examination of housing in various stages of
       construction and from hundreds of acres of residential plats already
       approved under existing codes, we'd guess that Arlington need not
       worry about having a sufficient supply of affordable housing. The
       more restrictive standards, which really aren't all that
       restrictive, are a good idea - and long, long overdue.

       But we would toss out another option: the "smart home." These are
       computer-intensive domiciles that "learn" about household habits and
       make residential environmental decisions accordingly.

       They provide security systems, turn off lights when someone leaves
       the room, record commonly watched programs, adjust room temperatures
       automatically, run baths at precise temperatures, order more food
       when a refrigerator supply runs low, and respond to voice and phone
       commands.

       Such homes save time and energy. Smart homes are projected to be a
       multibillion-dollar industry very soon.

       Such homes could be relatively small but highly energy-efficient and
       loaded with luxuries. We'd suggest that if the council is going to
       make any concessions regarding square footage or lot size, smart
       homes would be the logical exception.

       And what a coincidence! The University of Texas at Arlington plans
       to soon construct the MavHome, a state-of-the-art smart home that
       will feature leading-edge research and product testing in this very
       industry.

       A smart home laboratory is already in place on the campus. The
       National Science Foundation is helping with a $1.16 million grant -
       clearly a serious investment.

       How does "Arlington: Smart home capital of the world" sound? Smart
       homes are not the only answer to the city's housing dilemma, of
       course, but they certainly should be part of the affordability and
       quality equation.

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