When the fridge says your lettuce has spoiled: Smart homes more affordable

NEW YORK -- Eat your heart out, George Jetson.

New gadgets and technology can automate a house to the point where homeowners are alerted when food in the fridge goes bad, for example, irrigation systems monitor dew levels, and toilets medically analyze urine. Some of these controls even allow users to control systems on the road and by cellphone.

Smart-home features are still pretty pricey, but costs are expected to come down as the demand for more convenience grows and technology becomes more accessible and affordable.

"The future is here but it's not equally distributed," said Ilya Billig, vice president of business development at technology company Lagotek. "Our goal is to make it so."

The Bellevue, Wash.-based company last year introduced its newest automation software called "Home Intelligence Platform" that allows consumers to wirelessly control the television, computer, Internet, lighting, temperature, security and irrigation from an in-wall control panel, remote control or PDA.

The wireless technology is cheaper than hard-wired systems (around $10,000 for Lagotek's software versus up to $100,000 or more for hard-wired systems), and allows consumers to take their systems with them if they move.

When it comes to smart homes, clever products and systems are available for every room, says Ron Zimmer, president and chief executive of Continental Automated Buildings Association, a trade group that represents the home and commercial automation industry.

Kitchen

LG Electronics offers its "TV Refrigerator with HD Ready LCD TV and Weather & Info Center," which features a built-in cable-ready television, electronic cookbook and weather channel. It retails around $4,000.

Other refrigerators have advanced climate control and can track food expiration dates, while some large appliance makers offer appliances that run self-diagnostic tests and alert you when something's awry before disaster occurs. All of these can run $3,000 and up.

Security

Security systems are sophisticated enough these days that they not only sound an alarm if there's a fire, but also can be programmed to turn on the lights if the emergency is at night, call the fire or police department and call you if you're not home (at a cost of $10,000 and up).