Re:Important question (Score 1)

Not really weighing in on the making clothes analogy, but if you wanted a thermostat to control without the cloud. The Vera Lite controller can work independent of the Internet.
http://getvera.com/controllers...

While their site provides conveniences like easier connectivity without port forwarding, the entire setup can be done without any connectivity to their site. Then couple that with Z-Wave devices like this Honeywell Z-Wave Thermostat I looked up (I haven't used it, but have a Trane Z-Wave thermostat and a 2GIG Z-Wave Thermostat):
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hon...

Personally, I've been writing my own node.js based z-wave controller using a Z-Wave USB stick plugged into a Raspberry Pi. But that's only by choice. I ran the Vera Lite for a couple years and it worked fine. Admitted, this is a 2 part solution, but the Vera Lite would be your Z-Wave controller for other devices such as light switches and such. For something you can buy at Lowe's or Home Depot:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_650029...