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A new bill in the senate about smart building use raises the question: Is the future more like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica?

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) has introduced a bill that encourages the use of automated energy management systems in federal buildings. The “Smart Building Acceleration Act” calls for the U.S. Energy Department to conduct research into commercial technologies intended to monitor various building systems and connect with utilities.

The bill also asks the energy secretary to launch a "smart building accelerator" in consultation with private sector property owners that will research and develop technology for potential deployment in federal buildings.

The vision is connecting lighting and temperature control systems to the cloud and third-party commercial entities so these energy resources can both be monitored better and controlled remotely for better efficiency.

There’s some question whether such seemingly innovative energy practices are closer in line with the vision of the future embodied by Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica, however.

Star Trek is an example of a future where buildings operate themselves. In the sci-fi series, doors open automatically when needed, and rooms are always perfectly temperature controlled without waste.

An alternate future of the connected building is painted by Battlestar Galactica, however. The premise of the show is that an alien race has infiltrated and sabotaged human technology, rendering it useless. This is the downside of potentially connecting energy systems to the cloud.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has raised concerns about cybersecurity risks in high-tech access control systems in federal buildings. Late last year, the GAO issued a report stating that the Department of Homeland Security hadn't sufficiently prepared for cyber threats to physical buildings and access control systems.

Specifically, it pointed a finger at a 2009 incident when a security guard loaded a malicious program onto a Dallas-area hospital's computers. This program was then able to control heating, ventilation and air-conditioning control on two floors.

Such examples are not as exciting as a brush with aliens, but they do highlight that security must be addressed when it comes to smart building technology.

Is the future more like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica? The verdict still is out.