@Stephanie
Interesting topic! I'm 65 and have loved personal computers since the 80s. But not really to control things in my home, eg temperature. It's possible that would be useful, but maybe not cost-effective for me. I'm on-site, so I adjust the central heating, as required. We don't have air conditioning. There aren't extremes of temperature here in Newcastle, either hot or cold.
If we get a heatwave here (that would be high 20s C, haha), I advise guests to keep the bedroom windows & curtains closed during the hours of sunshine, and open the windows when the sun goes down.
The layout of our flat (4 rooms, running from south to north, in a terrace) means that there's a way to escape the heat in the front room, by going to the back room – quite amazing, the difference in temperature!
If it's chilly during the night, there's an extra duvet and a hot water bottle 🙂
All in all, I'm up for low-tech solutions, if poss, but I'm a simple soul 😉