GEORGE JETSON WOULD BE PROUD

By Mick Lochridge

George Jetson would be green with envy. The 1960s cartoon character lived in the year 2062, in an outer-space world of robot maids and push-button kitchens. But he never had the kind of technology that you can find in today’s smart homes. Better yet, you don’t even have to leave the planet.

Across Central Florida, more and more homes — both custom built and production built —  are offering innovative ideas, creative products and gee-whiz gadgetry that promise to improve the lives of buyers while saving them money. 

From energy-saving “green” features and solar-panel systems to video doorbells and motion light sensors, the choices are plentiful for those willing and ready to embrace new ideas.

And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it all out. Often there’s a smart phone mobile app for making those new gizmos do their thing.

“Most of the time, it’s a homeowner who’s demanding technology in the home,” says Craig Brayman, president of Future Home Integration (futurehomeintegration.com), a Groveland-based electrical contracting company that specializes in integrated systems primarily for custom builders.

 However, Brayman notes, in the past year or so more builders are looking for ways to set themselves apart from the competition. Even the most old-school sticks-and-bricks guys becoming experts on smart-home technology. “Granite countertops just aren’t exciting enough anymore,” he adds.

For example, at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, offerings included refrigerators with tiny cameras inside, allowing you to see on a mobile device what you already have before buying an unneeded extra jar of mayo.

 Also, there were smart locks for doors so you don’t need a key; devices that can recognize medical problems and send alerts; and security cameras with facial recognition technology.  

“Most people are scared, or don’t understand smart homes,” one industry analyst told CNBC at the convention. “[Smart-home technology] has been presented to them as, ‘Here’s a hub and a bunch of sensors. Why don’t you try to turn on your lights?’”

However, once people realize how much better and more intuitive new technology is versus what it was just a few years ago, they’ll be more likely to embrace it, the analyst said. That’s also the expectation of builders and suppliers in Central Florida.

“The industry locally has been kind of a sleeper,” says Brayman. “At the beginning, not many people even understood what we provided. The adoption of the smart phone/tablet/iPad made people really think, ‘What else can I do with this?’”

A decade ago, most new homes had automated systems such as music and security. Adds Brayman: “Now there are lots of other systems, including RGB lighting, automatic irrigation, motorized window treatments, whole-home wi-fi, access control and security cameras.”

Future Home Integration’s most popular features are audio, cameras and networks. “People lead very busy lives,” Brayman says. “Their home networks have to be rock-solid for work, homework, emails, automation controls and so forth.”

When people aren’t working, he adds, they want to relax and enjoy music in every room of the home. And when they’re away, they want to be able to keep an eye on things.

In addition to such electronic wizardry, many Central Florida builders also tout their energy-efficient “green” building practices. 

David Weekley Homes (davidweekleyhomes.com), for example, uses building techniques that make the company’s new homes 41 percent more energy-efficient than a home built in 2006, according to Brent Bartholomew, division president. 

Buying an energy-efficient home no longer means a substantially higher price tag up front, he adds, because of competing products and improved technology. 

Weekley’s homes these days include windows that deflect more of the sun’s heat and ultraviolet rays, keeping furniture from fading and utility bills from rising, as well as radiant barrier decking that keeps the attic cooler and helps the air conditioning operate more efficiently. Fresh-air systems improve indoor air quality and comfort.

“Building green is more mainstream than ever,” Bartholomew says. “It continues to evolve, along with energy efficiency, as a comprehensive building strategy.”

Lennar Homes (lennar.com) recently launched its Innovation at Storey Park, a 144-home, gated community in southeast Orlando. With prices starting in the $270s, the high-tech homes will include an array of standard smart-home features, according to Leslie Peters, director of sales.

“With advanced home automation — including locks, lights and wireless alarms — homeowners can control their lives from the palm of their hands,” Peters notes. “With USB ports and multimedia access, the family can stay charged and connected to their favorite content.”

Like other builders, Lennar includes energy-saving features, such as solar panels, occupancy-motion light sensors and Energy Star-rated appliances as standard features in its homes.

Meritage Homes (meritagehomes.com) also enjoys a solid reputation as a smart-home builder. Standard features in its homes include base home automation, Energy Star appliances, CFL lighting and fixtures, dual-flush toilets and, through 2016, six-panel solar systems, says C.R. Herro, vice president of environmental affairs.

The high-tech homebuilding industry in Central Florida “is changing quickly with the average buyer,” Herro says. “These buyers aren’t early adopters who just want the latest trend. They’re average people discovering that they can live better and have more personal control of their lives with new technology.”

Although few buyers understand exactly how all this stuff works, once they experience the joys of high-tech living, they’ll never go back, Herro adds.

Some industry innovators have set out to make smart homes even smarter by creating high-tech systems to monitor the health of residents and communicate the findings to their healthcare providers. 

“The implications are vast for management of a variety of conditions — from diabetes to heart disease to monitoring tremors in patients with Parkinson’s,” says Chester Kennedy, CEO of the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research, which was created by the University of Central Florida, Osceola County and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.

Adds Kennedy: “The objectives are to ensure that we stay healthy or receive early treatment, as well as to integrate sensors to ensure that medical protocols are followed in the home. For instance, patients can be sent reminders to take medicines at a certain time and in the correct dosage.”

Tavistock Development Co. (tavistock.com), builder of the Lake Nona community in Orlando, also sees the benefits of creating homes that help its residents stay healthy. 

“We’ve brought wellness into the home, making it easer to live healthier,” says Jessi Blakley, director of communications and public relations for Tavistock. 

For example, Lake Nona homes incorporate high air-quality standards, sun/glare control, ergonomics, non-toxic materials and other “green” features. 

In addition, Lake Nona created its own technology company, Dais, that has been key in facilitating remote monitoring through medical telemetry. 

“Our homes in Laureate Park [in Lake Nona] have an abundance of smart features, from technology and energy savings to health and wellness,” Blakley says. “This fall, the Lake Nona Institute will unveil its smart-healthy home in Laureate Park.”

Smart homes, clearly, are here to stay. From the energy-savings of green building to seeing who’s at the door via a smart phone to keeping a healthful eye on an elderly loved one, technology has literally made itself at home.

“Why wouldn’t you put technology in your home?” asks Brayman. “As more and more connected devices become a part of our daily lives, it’s only natural to incorporate them into our homes.”

George Jetson would be proud. 

FOR MILLENNIALS, TECHNOLOGY IS A REAL NO-BRAINER

The Millennial generation is poised to make a significant impact on home design with their strong preferences for energy efficiency and smart-home technology. They also want comfortable, workable kitchens and more casual spaces, according to experts from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Better Homes and Gardens. 

Millennials and Generation Xers — and their affinity for technology — are much discussed by builders. But before these twentysomethings and thirtysomethings buy, they’ll need to move out of their parents’ homes, says Rose Quint, assistant vice president of research for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). 

In 2015, about 15 percent of adults ages 25-34 lived with a parent — the highest percentage since NAHB starting tracking the number in 1983. That translates into 1.3 million people who normally “would be out there, forming their own households, demanding their own units,” she notes.

Quint had anticipated that new mortgage programs and looser mortgage insurance requirements unveiled a year ago would have led to an increase in consumers buying homes for the first time. 

But a look at the size of the typical new single-family home in 2015 found the opposite: Home sizes grew to an average of 2,721 square feet — the highest yet, and an indication that the new-home market continues to be dominated by move-up buyers rather than first-time buyers.

“Before we see that expected pullback in square footage and price, we’re going to have to see a significant return of the first-time buyer,” who’s more likely to buy a smaller home at a lower price point, Quint adds.

This year, homebuyers of all ages say they’re looking for homes with patios, separate laundry rooms, Energy-Star appliances and exterior lighting. Plus, they want as much smart-home technology as they can get.

What they don’t want are elevators, rooms with cork flooring, pet-washing stations, expensive outdoor kitchens, two-story entryways and family rooms. And their countertops should be granite, but never laminate, according to an NAHB survey of potential buyers.

In terms of house type, 65 percent of all buyers — and 68 percent of Millennials — want detached, single-family homes. That number rises to 72 percent with Generation X, defined as those born between 1965 and 1979, but falls to 55 percent with those born before 1945, Quint adds.

Better Homes and Gardens Brand Executive Editor Jill Waage echoes Quint’s findings on preferences for technology, well-equipped kitchens and casual, comfortable living spaces — especially outdoor living rooms, where Millennials want to entertain their families and friends.

“What’s important about this generation is their comfort with technology, because Millennials are leading the way on this,” Waage notes. “They’re the first generation to walk into homeownership with a smartphone in their hands.”

Millennials want to use technology to make entertainment choices easier and to monitor the comings and goings of packages, repairmen and their children as well as to improve their health and well-being. 

“When it comes to product choices, they’ve read the ratings, comments and reviews,” Waage says. “They’ve probably created a Google alert so they know when it’s on sale.”

Their home improvement preferences center on home organization and workspaces, as the separation between working in an office and telecommuting continues to blur, she adds.