Home Automation - automated thermostat

We own a ski place in the white mountains of NH. We arrive most friday nites (different times depending on work schedules and who is visiting for the wkend) and have to wait 2+ hours for the place to come up to a comfortable temperature.
We would like to figure out a way to have the place warm when we arrive.
I thought of a timer, but that won't work because we arrive at different times and sometimes we don't go up that wkend at all.
Is there such a thing as a thermostat connected to the phone, such that when you call you can turn the furnace on/off and set the temperature?

I believe <a href="http://www.x-10.com">X-10</a> makes a product like that. If so, that would be the least expensive way to go. You could also check <a href="http://www.smarthome.com">SmartHome.com</a> for some ideas. If you have a security system installed in the home, you can probably integrate it somehow. On my security system (ITI Concord) I have a thermostat control connected. Basically it has a low temperature and a high temperature. When the climate control is on (activated through the security system either via the keypad or a phone call into the system), if the temperature reaches the low side, the control kicks on the thermostat which, in turn, turns on the heat. Or, in the warm months, if the temperature reaches the high side, the system kicks on the thermostat which turns on the air conditioning. So, this system is still dependant upon the thermostat control and what it's set to, all the control does is to turn on or off the thermostat depending on the temperature (it does this by cutting the power to the thermostat.)

Good luck!

has a system that will do what you need