Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Exhibits Green Home

Green building and technology is a hot commodity and The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is jumping on board with a new exhibit: Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and Warmed by People's Gas.

The exhibit, a 2,500-square-foot home built with environmentally-friendly technologies and reusable resources, is a functioning three-story green home built right in the Museum's backyard.

Life|ware, Microsoft eHome and NuVo Technologies are taking part in this exhibit, providing guests a look at a greener way of living. Life|ware is also participating in Disney's new Dream Home.

This year's exhibit features Life|ware software and hardware to show guests how they can merge control of their home with all of their digital entertainment.

By integrating Life|ware into Microsoft Windows Media Center, Smart Home: Green + Wired creates the whole-home experience by providing all-in-one entertainment including access to music, photos, TV, movies, online media and fingertip control of heat, window coverings, lighting, security sensors and cameras.

Guests will also learn how Life|ware can track electricity and water consumption on a real-time basis, provide remote monitoring with Extenders for Windows Media Center.

Also featured in the exhibit is NuVo Technologies' Essentia E6G, an ENERGY STAR-certified whole-home audio system.

Despite distributing audio to six zones, the E6G consumes only 0.80 watts in standby mode. On average, it consumes 68.4 kilowatt-hours of power per year, which is an equivalent of 1/3 the energy consumption of most competing systems.

The Smart Home, which was designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and built by All American Homes, is open now through Jan. 4, 2009.

Integrator Rick Simpson, of 3G Applications in Chicago, donated his time and resources to help the Smart Home come to fruition. Rick, a certified Digital Home Technology Integrator, helped to create a fully connected home that displayed how the latest technology can help homeowners live a greener, more energy-efficient lifestyle.

Click here to learn more about the exhibit.