I am completely new to the world of home automation. However, my thermostat needs to be replaced, and I would very much like to replace it with something that I can program from my PC. Having said that, I don't really know where to begin. Has anyone got any suggestions for me?
Here is a further elaboration of my situation. I would like, eventually, to put controllable dampers or flow controls or whatever they're called into the pipes from my furnace/AC so that I can control different zones separately. However, I can't afford that right now. So, I want to start by replacing my thermostat, with a view to building the system out further if/when I can afford more.
I have done a little reading on the net but it hasn't gotten me a lot closer to a solution just yet. I've read a little about X10 and RS-485, but being new to this field, I generally get confused before I get very far. Can someone offer me guidance as to exactly which components I'll need to buy now in order to hook up a thermostat to my PC and be able to control it?
Thanks a lot! Brad.