Structured Wiring Among Technological Advances in American Home - 9/27/2004 - House Systems Electrical

Structured Wiring Among Technological Advances Transforming the American Home

This is the third in a series of three articles recognizing the National Council of the Housing Industry’s 40th anniversary and the myriad contributions of its product manufacturers and suppliers.

Today’s new homes are definitely “wired” for high-speed connectivity to the Internet and beyond, but for most families 40 years ago, outside communications was limited to a rotary-dial telephone and perhaps an intercom at the front door.

Manufacturing members of the National Council of the Housing Industry have witnessed the revolution from no-tech to hi-tech in the American home, and they stand in the vanguard of rapid advancement in residential goods and services — from MP3s today to who knows what just around the corner. Technology has moved rapidly in recent years, and cutting-edge products rooted in the latest research and development are catching on almost as quickly.

Fourteen million households now have high-definition televisions. Digital cameras, camera phones and PDAs loaded up with an ever-increasing number of features have become standard-issue, and home owners are clamoring for more.

In one of the fastest growing trends in home technology, consumers are looking for built-in speakers in just about every room of the house, and it’s not only audiophiles who want them. With a toe-hold in the media room, new audio applications are spreading into kitchens and bathrooms, and home owners can follow a trail of music just about anywhere throughout the house.

NCHI members are seeing technology hasten the development of more sophisticated products for the living environment, and in addition to entertainment, these innovations are transforming how Americans live in their homes, along with the systems that they use to operate and maintain them. Emerging products range from Smart thermostats that provide efficient regulation of temperatures, to touchscreen Internet access in the shower, to structured wiring and closed circuit security capabilities.

Research and development for the space age has also led to an influx of home automation and lighting-control innovations. Users can control home lighting, air, heating and blinds all from a remote location, and new approaches to circuitry are already producing impressive energy saving prototypes for these systems that will further stretch the performance of the American home — to almost unrecognizable lengths.

Copper wire has been an essential component of the revolution in residential technology. According to the Copper Development Association, a single-family home in 2004 contains approximately 195 pounds of copper wire.

Copper, which conducts electricity better than any metal other than silver, accounts for 93% of the building-wire market in the U.S. today — at a time when electricity usage is 400 times higher than it was in the 1950s, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Thanks to its strength and durability, copper tubing has been used to supply homes with water for bathing, drinking and cooking for more than 75 years; today it provides underground access to geothermal heating and cooling technology. And, copper is now used for everything from faucets and tubs to fireplace trim to lighting sconces.

For more information about the National Council of the Housing Industry, e-mail Barbara McMurray, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8243.

Then and Now