Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 16, 1992 TAG: 9202170263
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: AVA VAN de WATER
DATELINE: JUPITER, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
THE BRAINS OF THE HOUSE
Approaching your house, you reach for your remote. With the press of a button, the garage door glides open, lights turn on, fans swirl into motion, the Jacuzzi bubbles into action and the radio emits soothing sounds.Want a drink of water in the middle of the night, but don't want to fiddle for the light switch? A "smart house" can be programmed to guide you through the house, turning on lights as you walk from room to room, much like a plane approaching a landing strip.
Not sure if it rained while you were gone? A flip of a switch and sensors can tell you how much moisture is in your lawn.
It may sound a bit futuristic, but the technology is here.
One such system has been installed at an Admirals Cove model in Jupiter, built by Gozzo Estate Homes. It controls lights, appliances, sprinklers, heating and air-conditioning systems, audio/video equipment and security. Unlike other "futuristic" systems, it does not have to be wired into a new house. This system uses timers, sensors, remote controls and touch-tone phones.
A package with all the features is pricey - the Home 2000 system for the 7,000-square-foot Gozzo home cost $30,000. But the average homeowner can have a smaller version for as little as $500.
If those are smart houses, my house is downright stupid. When I pull into my driveway, the garage door doesn't open automatically. (Why would I want it to, anyway - it's filled with furniture.) And if I did have motion detectors throughout the house for security, my husband would set them off as he stumbled his way for a late-night glass of water.
If automated home systems are the way of the future, you might say I'm a domestic dinosaur.
But if we should get with it, this Home 2000 system by Herko Electronics Inc. could be installed easily enough.
"It's nice because you don't have to tear up the house," said Doug Herko, owner of the Rochester-based company, which has an office in Jupiter.
One of the reasons an Australian man is buying the house across from this model home is because it also will have the Home 2000 system, said Dick Sheehan, of Admirals Cove.
The man can call from Australia and check on his house just by punching a code in his telephone. And with a lap-top computer, he can call up his floor plan and check the house, room by room, for temperature, security and movement (a good way to see if the cleaning help is really cleaning). Are you listening, Big Brother?
"The technology has been here for some time but now it's cost-effective to buy and install it," Sheehan said.
"I'm encouraging all the builders to do smart houses," he added. "Within five years you're going to find 90 percent of the homes built with home automation."
Now, if we could just get it to clean windows.