Reddit reviews Vera Control VeraLite-US Smart Home Controller Hub, Green and White

They sell new from Amazon for $99.

It depends if you want to control everything from one place or don;t mind using a separate app for each thing. IF you want an all-in-one solution, the best bet is a Vera pro or VeraLite from MiCasaVerde. You don't have to re-invent the wheel as most of your wants will work right out of the box. What it doesn't natively do, it is almost guaranteed that someone has already done the modification and you can just grab their code.

For the lock I would go with a Yale or Schlage. Even Kwikset has zigbee and z-wave models. Honeywell makes a nice thermostat for cheap. There are several ways to integrate your doorbell as well.

Otherwise, Nest is great, Dropcam is awesome, There are a whole host of cool single-focus products out there.

No mention of Zwave? I have my locks, lights, lamps, fans and various other appliances all controlled from a central hub, with simple scripting of events based on time, date, calendar,gcal event, sunset/sunrise, server state, etc. I can turn lights on/off, lock/unlock doors, etc from hundreds of miles away, from my phone or a web browser. I have conditions set that will email me when certain things happen( TV turned on, door unlocked, etc). If I want to put the money out there, I can buy active power monitoring devices that give me a live/aggrgate feed of all power used. If I wanted, I can tie in live, internet camera feeds. All of this has no monthly cost, no service fee. The web console is super easy to script, giving the user a GUI that walks you through setting them up, and then some meatier tools down the line if you want to skip over the middle man. I can script 5 appliances to change state 15-30 times in 5 minutes if I like. Nothing to it.

Currently, I have one lock, 2 lamps, a dimmer switch, a fan, and a set of motion lights all going for the cost of $800. The great part is that the system is modulaur. Once you get the $200 controller, you can just buy another device at $50-200 a pop until your house does exactly what you tell it.

All of this is possible right now. No need to wait for microsoft to introduce a beta project. All you need is the micasaverde lite to start.

You should redesign this and remove that as you call it 'fancy switch' and get a proper home automation system. I use Vera a vera Lite

Then you can do so much more. For example I use this on my RGBW light strips.

As for the power yes as other have said you need to use the existing outlets to power a 12 volt power supply. I use these for that.

Now that you have the Zwave hub then you can start to automate many other lights in the house.

Check out r/homeautomation/ for more ideas

I use a very lite home automation controller
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007005364/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1419693424&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

With an appliance module that has a power strip connected to it. Turning the appliance module on and off using the vera plugins for tasker will turn the Chromecast and TV on by activating the power strip which they are plugged into.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0013V58HU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1419693510&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Not all TVs work this way. You can test to see if your TV will work by turning the TV on and unplugging it from the wall and plugging it back in. If it turns back on, your TV can do this. If it does not turn back on without you hitting the power button on the TV, you'll have to find another solution.

You could just a VeraLite and do so much more.

I have the Vera Lite. I can't comment on how much better/faster the newer models are, but I've been happy with the lite. I have over 36 lights, several sensors, garage doors, fans, iPhone locators...

I even have mine integrated with Amazon Echo. There hasn't been anything that I wished it would do, that ST or another controller does.

http://smile.amazon.com/Mi-Casa-Verde-VeraLite-Controller/dp/B007005364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458225521&sr=8-1&keywords=vera+lite

Okay few ideas to lower your energy bills...

1. Programmable thermostats. Ideally intelligent ones. Nest is a good choice but it's expensive. Alternatively get any Z-Wave thermostat and a Vera Lite controller (you can do ALL KINDS of cool shit with that thing, I highly recommend it). This lets you stop wasting energy heating/cooling an empty house.
   
   
2. Make sure your system is efficient. Replace the filters, clean the coils, etc.
   
   
3. Look for leaks. Find a day it's especially cold, and make yourself a fan door. Have the fan blow out and go around in your house near windows and whatever looking for leaks. Seal that shit up with foam insulation tape.
   
   
4. Air conditioners can bleed heat. Wrap them with insulating covers in the winter.
   
   
5. Your dryer is your frienemy. If you have a clothes dryer, it is a great source of hot, humid air. In the winter, it's vent should go into a filter box so you save that air inside your apartment. In the summer, it should blow outside.
   
   
6. Change your light bulbs out for CFL or LED bulbs. CFLs use less than 1/3 the power of incandescent, and LEDs are even better. This adds up over time.
   
   
7. If you have a big fancy desktop computer, use the power management function or turn it off. Don't leave it running 24/7. On the other hand, during the winter, fire that shit up and have it mine Bitcoins or something. At least that way your heat makes you a bit of money :)
   
   
8. Use your windows/blinds. This can reduce both your lighting and heating costs. Note that dark colored blinds absorb more light/heat than white blinds. So use dark in the winter, white in the summer.
   
   
9. Use the climate to your advantage. In the summer time, if it gets cool at night, shut off the AC, open your windows, and run a fan.
   
   
10. Use humidity to your advantage. A humidifier uses a lot less power than a heater, but increasing the humidity to 35-40° in the winter will make it feel a couple degrees warmer than it is. Similarly, a dehumidifier uses less power than an air conditioner, but makes it feel cooler. Note however that an air conditioner dehumidifies the air, so don't run both AC and dehumidifier at once.
    
    
11. Use correctly sized air conditioner units. As air passes through an AC, it gets dehumidified as well as cooled. If your AC is too big, it will run for a very short time and then shut off, leaving most of the air not dehumidified so it will feel soggy inside. If your AC is too small, it will run continually and the place will still be hot (or it won't cool down at a useful speed). Before buying ACs, calculate your room volume and figure out exactly what BTU rating you need.
    
    

Here is the desktop version of your link

I use a VeraLite home automation system and a smart energy switch for each rig. I wouldn't say it's cheap, but it's reasonably priced, and it works extremely well. You can also use it for other things, like controlling your AC or a camera.

There is a web interface and several compatible android/ios apps (the z-wave home automation protocol is widely used). It was trivial to setup.

Here is the home automation controller I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Mi-Casa-Verde-VeraLite-Controller/dp/B007005364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394328826&sr=8-1&keywords=veralite

Here is the deadbolt that I purchased:
http://liquidationlocks.com/product/kwikset-smartcode-keyless-entry-910-series-deadbolt-with-z-wave

The prices have gone up slightly since I commented, but it's still a good deal. If you want to add light switches and other devices later, it turns out to be an even better deal.

Hang out in /r/homeautomation for a few days and your eyes will be opened to the possibilities! I think I saw you cross posted this there recently.

The 2gig CT100 is what you're looking for. It isn't a standalone product like the Nest, but it works great with my Vera based home automation system.

[Schlage ZWave] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083GJ19E/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484103729&sr=sr-1&keywords=schlage+zwave) locks, you'll have to purchase a [Zwave Bridge] (https://www.amazon.com/Control-VeraLite-US-Smart-Controller-Green/dp/B007005364/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1484104001&sr=1-1&keywords=veralite+zwave) but you can remotely set/delete codes, unlock doors and have instant notifications when somebody opens the door. I manage my listing from 500 miles away.