THE FIGHT OVER WHETHER TO require sprinklers in new homes. Too many things are driving up the cost of housing, even as we face a glut of existing homes. And the return on investment seems poor. A sprinkler system adds $5000 to the price of a home, but: “The fire survival rate in homes with working smoke detectors is 99.41 percent, according to the NFPA. Toss in a sprinkler, and the rate rises to 99.6 percent.”