For those following the progress of our remodel and move into our new house, you may have caught on that we have been gradually replacing the traditional lighting controls with the Insteon standard.  Insteon is a fairly new way of automating many of the things in your home.  This includes lights, thermostats, appliances, even pumps. 

The creator of the Insteon standard, SmartLabs describes insteon as follows:

INSTEON is the most reliable, simple and affordable best-selling home automation technology in the world. INSTEON has quickly become the standard for lighting, appliance and home control applications. Over 1,000 manufacturers are involved in INSTEON R&D, spanning products in every imaginable home application. Unlike competitors, INSTEON benefits from being the world's only Dual-Mesh network -- communicating both over the home's electrical wiring as well as wireless RF.

Our experiences so far have been very positive.  We have installed controls for the better part of the downstairs, the landscaping lights, pool and patio lights.  Being able to control lights and scenes from around the house have made life a lot easier.  We also added something called the ISY from Universal Devices that helps us with programming and also allows us to set automatic schedules and controls.

Suggest you head over the SmartHome, the distribution arm of SmartLabs and take a look for yourself.