It may just be that builders are beginning to see the value in offering technology packages in new home construction.  And why not?  Residential technology is here to stay.

Jason Knott of CE Pro's website cited a joint study between Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  The percentage of builders installing energy management systems in new homes has risen 133 percent in two years (from 6 percent to 14 percent of new homes). Moreover, the percentage of builders actually offering energy management grew from just 40 percent in 2009 to 59 percent in 2011.

The percentage of new homes with multiroom audio has also more than doubled, while home automation and lighting control have also doubled.

He writes:

"The long-term trend is that technology is here to stay," says Chris Ely, manager of industry analysis for CEA. "The category of audio has seen a resurgence across the board." It should be noted that the data from the study is not strictly related to new home construction. Ely notes that the average respondent to the study did 46 new residential "projects" in 2011 of either new or remodel single-family homes or MDUs. Meanwhile, that same builder did an average of 34 light commercial or remodeling projects.

Smart builders are doing what others are doing; offering technology packages of different scales to their buyers.  In doing so, they automatically set themselves apart as regional leaders in the construction field.