Look how much has changed in 100 years, in 10 years, even in 1 year.
Things change quickly. There is no way to predict anything that will happen in 20 years properly when it comes to technology, which is driven by (1) warfare, (2) government research, (3) input costs versus need. I'm against 1 & 2, but in terms of technology chasing either speed or efficiency, we've been more focused on speed than on efficiency because energy is so damned cheap, and it's likely to stay cheap for the time being.
As long as energy is cheap, our focus will be on doing things faster or better, but not more efficiently, except where there is a financial incentive to.
If energy costs start to go up in a significant way, research will focus more on efficiency than on speed or quality.
For years I've wanted a simple, scriptable home automation system. I've played with all of the systems out there, but without smart outlets and smart meters, the systems are useless. Why aren't there smart outlets and smart meters that actually work? There's no need -- energy is cheap and easy to get.
This is fearmongering, pure and simple.