there are 4 lighting circuits (min) of which I want dimming of 3 (one of the 3 to be dimmed is on a 3-way), (one is just on-off by 3-way), plus control of a 240v heater/thermostat (I don't know of a programable (timer) t-stat that responds to IR or X-10), and possibly some control for a gas fireplace. I'm aware of the Ocelot/Tw 523 powerline interface, but I was wondering what is avail for less than an Ocelot, I don't need all of the Ocelot's added features.

some links to products would be extremely appreciated, as I find the pages of smarthome really confusing.

I'd go with the PCS SmartSwitches ( [Link: homeautomationnet.com] ) for the receivers. You can't get more features for the money.

There are a number of X10 compatable thermostats but I don't have any experience with them.

Bill just posted a note regarding control of a gas fireplace under another thread. I'd suggest looking for that thread, it shouldn't be too far down the list.

The Ocelot gives you a lot of power for the price. Anything cheaper is going to be a pretty big step down unless you leave a dedicated PC running the automation software which, IMO, is far from ideal. You can get one for $148.50 from the link above but you'll have to search for "Ocelot" to find it.

Ben,

A cheaper alternative to the Ocelot is the CM11A. Often comes as part of "Home Automation Kits". It handles the basic stuff just fine, but it is not up to par with the Ocelot. Search the forum for CM11A, and you will find many posts with positive and negative issues.