Science News

On an off-grid property in Philo, California (Mendocino County), Loren Amelang built a home that would help him generate "free hot water, free power and a decent chunk of free heat". Putting his technical skills to use (he's a pioneer in C++ programming), Amelang wrote over 10,000 lines of code so that his home's water and electric systems could be operated more efficiently and automatically. An added benefit is the ability to control everything remotely, by even just a smartphone

First the smart phone, now the smart home: Digital technology on verge of tending to household tasks