Call me a dinosaur.

The older I become, the simpler I want things to be. My view of Building Science and the home retrofit business is progressing (regressing?) in this manner. A home is a shelter. Most shelters are some kind of a box. You can have a box that leaks or one that is airtight. Most climates prefer air tight, as do I. The best part of tight is control. Temperature, moisture, odor can be simply                   controlled in a tight box with little fuss and low cost. So tighter is better. Move the air around inside the box, provide a filtered fresh air exchange system some thermal modulation and voila' all the shelter needs are met.

Dumb House

Why are we pushing so much towards home automation? HiTech remote controls, on-line appliance controls, super-connectivity all seem over the top. A well designed new home or a safe durable retrofit doesn't require a lot of wired up technology. A majority of my clients want a plug and play home where they are safe, comfortable and entertained without a lot of unnecessary interaction on their part. I think most of us would prefer the KISS principle where we get the basics right and enjoy that, rather than constant upgrades for small changes. The concept of WhyTech has not yet taken hold of the home market. Like talking cars, maybe robot homes are unnecessary.