Wait a second...

Fixed.
Knew I'd seen it on /. before. :)

Really, why do slashdotters always look for the most expensive, technical solution? I've lived in Maine my entire life and leaving a house for a winter really isn't a huge deal.
Drain the pipes, turn off the damn furance, put your temperature sensitive stuff in storage. A property of mine spent two winters like this and needed minimal check-ins.
And, why not just ask your neighbors to check in for you if you plan on being away for an extended period of time?

But I suppose, dealing with all the setup and installation and debugging of X10, etc would be much easier. Don't forget to add a float to your oil tank to let you know when you're low.
Just doesn't seem financially feasable to me :)