An interesting product I came across at GreenBuild was the home-control system being offered by Verve Livings Systems. The tech-candy for me is their wall switches, which convert the energy you use to flip the switch into a pulse that sends the instruction to a a central controller, dousing or dimming the light in question, or performing more complicated routines if programmed that way.

First of all, this is just plain cool, no? But it's more than an oddity. This frees builders from having to run wires to switch plates, which is both a time and materials savings. For that matter, you wouldn't have to affix switches to walls at all if you chose not to; you could put one in your car, and turn your lights on as you pull into the driveway. And if you do put it on the wall and then decide to put it elsewhere, you can.

The signals go to a central controller, which can handle not only lights but fans, electrical outlets, exhaust fans, etc. Verve's Dianne Pisarek says the company is at work on being able to control more, too — HVAC, security, etc. She estimated the cost for a 2,000-square-foot home — 18-24 switches is typical for that size, she said — between $2,000 and $2,500, but said if you consider the time and effort saved by avoiding the old way, a better figure is $1,000 to $1,500.