1. Technological Advances in home design

2. Construction
Plastic Pipes: Lightweight, less expensive, and used to replace plumbing in older homes

3. Plastic Lumber
Material that can be used to build a deck that never needs painting and is low maintenance

4. Biomaterial
Biomaterials are organically based building materials manufactured from recycled materials
i.e. Wood chips used
to make bioethanol as a
fuel source for homes

5. Communications/Entertainment
Automated management system: central control units that oversee daily functions in a home
No more need for light switches, thermostats, volume controls and separate remotes for the TV, satellite and DVD: literally everything is controlled from one easy-to-use controller, over the internet, or even from your mobile phone.

6. Closed Circuit Television
Home system that uses carefully placed cameras to see what is occurring in and around different areas of the house

7. Motion Sensitive Lighting
Lighting that uses a sensor to turn on when motion is detected

8. Light Emitting Diode (LED)
LED lights use a silicon chip and
last 100,000 hours or more