We are already living in the future

In this week’s episode of “TechKnow,” we visited the Honda Smart Home, a 1,944 square-foot living laboratory designed by Honda and UC Davis. Boasting the latest in net zero concepts, this home is one of the first to integrate the car and home into one complete system that produces more energy than it consumes. The vision for zero carbon living is here and fully automated.

It should not come as a surprise that car companies are taking an interest in home building – they have been dreaming about automated homes and the Internet of Things since the 1950s. Check out the video compilation below. One is from General Motors’ Design for Dreaming, the other is from Monsanto. Yes, that Monsanto.  

Cabinets lowering with the touch of a button, a climate controlled operating system that handles heat and air conditioning in one fell swoop, shiny happy plastic people. The smart home future of the past is now an imminent reality, fermenting innovative partnerships among car companies, consumer electronics, and telecommunications.

With the cost of batteries dropping, electric vehicles (EVs) are more accessible than ever before.  But with 80 percent of EV charging happening in the home, car companies are starting to view EVs as another appliance in the home energy mix.

Inside the Honda Smart Home is a 10 kilowatt-hour lithium battery that communicates with the photovoltaic system on the roof, powering the home and the car.  

By creating a micro grid for the home, car companies are hoping this will give way to mainstream EV adoption.

Honda isn’t the only auto company moving in next door. Ford, Toyota, and Tesla all have visions for a low carbon society.

Gone are the days where you’ll have to fret about leaving the oven on after leaving the house. In this new smart home ecosystem, a tablet or smartphone will become the universal remote control. Homeowners can now automate tasks, check security footage and get a snapshot of the home’s daily energy use. Time Warner, Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T all offer home automation and control packages.

There’s been an explosion of connected home consumer products, from washing machines that text you to smart thermostats. Recent estimates project that the smart home market will double in the next few years, jumping from $33 billion in 2013 to $71 billion by 2018. Amazon even has a storefront dedicated solely to home automation. The trick? Getting all of these devices to speak the same language. Another concern: how to protect your refrigerator from cyber-attacks.