Home comfort and design advanced probably more in the last century than it ever did in a one hundred year period.
Experts predict that the next 100 years should similarly see rapid developments, but in a different fashion.
Systems already being used, such as thermostats that control both temperature and humidity and monitors that actually analyze indoor air quality, will be more efficient, better tailored to meet the needs of individuals, and more environmentally friendly.
The 20th century move toward greater comfort in the home began when Willis Carrier invented air conditioning in the early 1900s. This development eliminated the need for home design elements meant to keep structures cool. Items such as high ceilings, thick insulating walls, deep overhanging eaves, attics and front porches were no longer necessary, giving architects and designers greater flexibility and options in designing homes.
With air conditioning now in the home, new features began to appear, such as large, picture windows and sliding glass doors.
For these items, air conditioning is critical because glass conducts heat and makes the home warmer.
The color white became popular for interior design because air conditioning allowed homeowners to close windows, keeping out dirt and dust.
Fast forward to 2000, where environmental demands and the increasing development of technology and computers are making a different kind of revolutionary change in home comfort.
For example, air conditioning units featuring chlorine-free refrigerants such as PuronŽ are growing in popularity. Freon, once the standard refrigerant of the air conditioning industry, is being phased out by the U.S. government because of its ozone-damaging qualities.
According to Rick Fedrizzi, director, communications and environmental affairs for Carrier Corporation, the company's WeatherMakerŽ units with Puron refrigerant are 100 percent non-ozone depleting and have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and state and local governments for their performance.
Kinder, friendlier air conditioning is just a sample of things to come. According to environmental and technology consultant John Picard, president and founder of E2, Inc., the home of the future will be characterized by "connectivity."
"Instead of being isolated by computerization, connected groups of homeowners will become network communities with network economies," said Picard. "By this I don't just mean simple Internet access; I mean broadband high-speed fiber-optic access that allows lightspeed connection to everyone else."
Picard, recognized as a lead voice and catalyst for the integration of digital environmental technology into the design of homes and buildings and master planning of mixed-use communities, practices what he preaches.
His Manhattan Beach, Calif., home will fully incorporate solar power and energy-efficient technologies, material and resource efficiency and computer- and Internet-based monitoring system.
"The Internet and engineered information states are going to change the way homes are designed," Picard concluded. "We will be plugging into the Web for everything we need (NAPSI)
