An increasing number of homebuilders are wiring their housing starts for home tech services, especially basic structured wiring and some degree of distributed audio or security systems. But the degree of pre-wiring being installed and the services it provides varies widely from one builder to another, and one house to another. Add to that the fact that many builders still think a tech home is one that merely has Cat 5 or R-6 wiring installed in high-use rooms, and you can see we've got a problem in defining what a tech home really is.

This wide disparity can be the source of great frustration for a homeowner, who is told they are purchasing a tech-friendly house, only to find after they move in that features or services they expected will require a retrofit.

The Consumers Electronics Association (CEA) is hoping to resolve this disparity by allowing homeowners to compare technology features using the Tech Home Rating System (THRS). That system measures the level of technology in the home and applies a rating number to the home from one to five based on systems such as structured wiring, lighting control, energy management, and distributed audio and video. The idea is a very good one, but doesn't go far enough to fully serve uninformed homebuyers.

Even more valuable to homeowners would be an actual builder tech certification program. Such a program would document that a builder has a full understanding of the various home tech features and services that are available on the market, that they are qualified to install and maintain all of those services, and that they share a commitment to educate homeowners on what those services are and how they really enhance the value of a home.

To really give such a certification program value, an added component should look at the marketing of home technology, and the issue of ethics in recommending home tech features to a homeowner. This basically would ensure that builders seeking a tech builder certification have pledged to work fairly and ethically with a customer in recommending features that truly make sense to that homebuyer, and that add legitimate value to the home for future resale. It would offer reassurance that the builder does not bundle needless home tech services that don't make sense in that home or to that customer.

For an example of such a certification program one need only look to the "Green Builder" certification offered by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHM). That certification is given to homebuilders that have demonstrated an environmentally friendly approach to homebuilding in the materials they use and building practices they commit to.

I realize that the thought of another certification program doesn't usually excite professionals in any industry. After all, certifications usually mean more education and training, more time and more expense. But the need for such a certification program is born out in recent data from the joint-effort Builder Practices Study from the CEA and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). That surveys projects that 55 percent of all new homes built this year will include structured wiring. But the amount of wiring and home tech options that feed off it is all over the map.

More importantly, don't think of a home tech certification as an added expense to your business. Think of it as a differentiator for you in your local market. And with competition fierce in many markets, builders should put out the welcome mat for anything that will give them a competitive advantage.