I’ve been on a journey to optimize energy usage in my home, especially with my short-term tenants. The goal? To reduce energy waste, particularly with the air conditioner. Initially, I was looking into a ON/OFF TIME DELAY RELAY for my WEMO Maker, but then I stumbled upon Home Assistant, and it completely changed my perspective!
Here’s what I’ve set up: My WEMO Maker is connected to 4 magnetic switches—1 for the entrance door (using both NC and NO configurations) and 2 for the balcony sliding doors. The idea is simple yet effective: the air conditioner should only run when all doors are closed. Additionally, the NO switch on the deadbolt acts as a presence detector since it can only be locked from outside.
I’ve configured it so that when the sensor on the WEMO Maker turns off, the WEMO itself turns off after a 5-minute delay. Conversely, when the sensor turns on, the WEMO turns on after a 2-minute delay. This prevents the AC from immediately kicking in or shutting off, which helps in saving energy.
Setting this up wasn’t without its challenges. I tried various automation scripts, mashed up codes, and faced errors whenever I introduced delays or sensor changes. The sensors were visible in Home Assistant, but the WEMO wasn’t responding as expected. After several attempts, I realized the issue was with how I was handling the sensor states and delays in the automation rules.
Here’s a snippet of what worked for me:
yaml
-
alias: Turn on air conditioners 2 minutes after every door is closed.
trigger:
platform: state
entity_id: sensor.aircon_state
to: ‘on’
action:
service: homeassistant.turn_on
entity_id: switch.wemo_maker -
alias: Turn off air conditioners 5 minutes after a door opens.
trigger:
platform: state
entity_id: sensor.aircon_state
to: ‘off’
action:
service: homeassistant.turn_off
entity_id: switch.wemo_maker
This setup has been a game-changer. It not only helps in reducing energy consumption but also adds a layer of security by ensuring the AC doesn’t run unnecessarily. Plus, having the ability to turn it off manually if needed gives me peace of mind.
If you’re looking to optimize your home’s energy usage, I highly recommend exploring Home Assistant and WEMO Maker. The combination of hardware and software automation is incredibly powerful. Let me know if you have any questions or need help setting something up!
Happy automating! 