George Jetson, the lovable patriarch of the cartoon family “The Jetsons,” may be the planet’s most widely recognized owner of a “smart house,” but the rest of us are beginning to understand that such futuristic capabilities are more commonplace than we realize, a local expert says.

Kurt Black, owner of Homedata, a Des Moines-based company that specializes in installing smart-house modules, wiring and product maintenance, says the technology has existed for years, but homeowners are just now beginning to see the benefits of its capabilities.

“When people hear the term ‘smart house,’ they think of ‘The Jetsons’ and that it’s too complicated or too expensive,” Black said. “But people don’t realize that the technology has been around for a long time and that it’s affordable and easy to use.”

From installing networks that allow products to interface and distributing telephone and television services throughout a house, to installing home security and theater systems, a variety of solutions can be found ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, Black said. Using sensors, cellular phones, broadband access and home computers, homeowners can adjust the thermostat, turn on the lights and access security cameras, among other functions, while away from home.  

Black, who works with a handful of homebuilders in Des Moines, said the majority of his clients who build high-end homes in the western suburbs as well as burgeoning communities such as Norwalk, Altoona and Pleasant Hill, seek technological advances to make their domestic lives easier. “Our lifestyles are changing,” Black said. “People have one or more computers in their homes, and high-end technology is more affordable than it was three years ago.”

Dean Vogel, co-owner of K&V Homes in Des Moines, builds between 12 and 18 homes a year and offers his customers the option to install smart-house structured wiring during the rough-in phase of building. He said such an amenity is becoming more commonplace in newly built homes, though homeowners have the option to install a system after the home is built, too.

“More and more people are interested in home networking because there are more home offices being built,” he said. “It benefits people who may only have a couple of hours of work to do at home, as well as those who work nights and weekends.”

Vogel not only subcontracts with Homedata, but also is a customer. Black installed a FutureSmart system that allows Vogel to control many functions throughout his home.

“It runs a number of things, including my cable television and telephone,” he said. “It also gives me flexibility because I can plug into my laptop in any room of the house.”

Black said the most requested service he provides is distributing high-speed Internet access and television throughout a home. Advanced technology allows two computer users to operate at once. Homeowners can also play a DVD or VHS tape in one room and watch it in another room, or establish a security camera system that is triggered by motion detectors and can be viewed via the Internet.

“The Internet has made a lot of this technology possible,” Black said. “The key is having constant Internet connections.”

Though George Jetson may have been at the mercy of RUDI, his “Referential Universal Digital Indexer” computer at work, it isn’t that way in real life. Black said his goal not only is to grow his business, but to educate homeowners of the benefits of creating a smart-house environment.

“I want automation to be thought of as more of a standard thing than a luxury item,” he said. “The most rewarding part of my job is helping customers come to the realization that this is affordable and easy to use by everybody.”