{"id":1179,"date":"2021-12-22T21:55:05","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T02:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/?p=1179"},"modified":"2022-09-11T21:07:18","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T02:07:18","slug":"home-assistant-automation-sun-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/home-assistant-automation-sun-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to code a Home Assistant automation sun condition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"affiliate-disclaimer\">I hope that the products recommended here will help you build great projects. Just so you know, if you buy through the links on this page on Amazon or Banggood (among others), RobotsBench may get a small share of the sale (as an Amazon affilate, I earn from qualifying purchases). This helps to keep the site alive and allow me to write more articles. Thank you!<\/div>\n<p>In Home Assistant, an automation is a action that runs one time when a condition is reached. The condition itself is called a <em>trigger<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many types of trigger available such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The current time.<\/li><li>A time pattern, such as every 5 minutes or every hours.<\/li><li>The state of an entity in the system, such a a button press or a value reached.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here I&#8217;m going to tell you about my automations that are related to the sun, more precisely if the sun rises or set. If you want to react to the current light level outside, it&#8217;s the best option: if you look only at the time, you&#8217;ll have to keep adjusting your automations as the seasons changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-com-cindypotvin-cp-aside-gutenberg-block cp-aside-gutenberg-block-content\"><p>If you want to read more about the hardware in my home automation setup, please check my post about my <a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/home-automation-build-home-assistant\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"981\">Home Assistant build<\/a>.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>All the automations in my system are in YAML code: I have other automations that are not supported by the UI, so it&#8217;s more convenient to edit everything from the configuration file. Both examples are automations that are in the chicken coop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Closing a switch (smart plug) according to the sun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>My first automation is a smart plug that is powered off when the sun sets, which closes a door when the chickens are safely inside. They won&#8217;t stay outside in the dark, but the sunset condition is reached a bit too early for that and they would get trapped outside. The 1:00:00 offset makes it so the automation starts 1 hour after the sun sets, and not immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the type of trigger (the <em>platform<\/em>) is <em>sun<\/em>, and is reached when a <em>sunset <\/em>event happens (+ 1 hour according to the offset). When that trigger is reached, the <em>action <\/em>is executed: in the example below, the switch <em>plug_4 <\/em>in my system is turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>- alias: \"Close the door after sunset\"\n  mode: single\n  trigger:\n  - platform: sun\n    event: sunset\n    offset: 01:00:00\n  action:\n  - service: switch.turn_off\n    entity_id: switch.plug_4<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>This would work with any &#8220;switch&#8221; device, but for this automation I&#8217;m using a Sinop\u00e9 Zigbee smart plug:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"azp-product-area azp-list-style \">\n    \n\n        <!-- azp-each-product -->\n        <div class=\"azp-each-product azp-each-list azp_list_item_1\">\n            <!-- azp--product-content -->\n            <div class=\"azp-product-content\">\n                <!-- azp-visual-part -->\n                <div class=\"azp-visual-part\">\n                    <div class=\"azp-img-wrapper\">\n                        <a  class=\"azp-url azp_image_link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B083Y5XTL4?tag=robbench-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1\">\n    <img alt=\"Sinop\u00e9 Smart Plug...image\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/21ZKp9WOEVL._SL160_.jpg\"\/>\n<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <!-- \/.azp-visual-part -->\n                <!-- description -->\n                <div class=\"azp-info-part\">\n                    <div class=\"azp-title\">\n                        <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"azp-url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B083Y5XTL4?tag=robbench-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1\" title=\"Sinop&eacute; Smart Plug SP2600ZB (Works with Amazon Alexa) - Zigbee\">\n    Sinop\u00e9 Smart Plug SP2600ZB (Works with Amazon Alexa) - Zigbee<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"azp-feature-list\">\n                                            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"azp-info-footer\">\n                                                                            \n<div class=\"azp-price\">\n            <span class=\"azp-recent-price\">\n                    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <!-- description -->\n            <\/div>\n            <!-- \/.azp-product-content -->\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- \/.azp-each--product -->\n                <\/div>\n<!-- \/.azp-product-area -->\n\n\n\n\n<h2>Dimming a light according to the sun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>My second automation dims the light in the coop over time as the sun goes down. The chickens need to sleep in the dark so they have good egg production, but they would get caught on the floor if the light would turn off all at once. With this automation, as the light dims, the chicken have time to settle down on their perch so they are ready when the light closes totally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A simpler automation not shown here with the event <em>sunrise <\/em>turns the light on at 100% brightness in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since there are many dimming steps, this is in fact 4 separate automations with different offset times. Otherwise, the trigger is very similar to the previous example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, the action is a bit different since it&#8217;s a dimmer and not a switch: I also need to send the brightness level to set. Also, not all dimmers use the same data, you may have to experiment a bit to find the right format to use for your hardware (all possible values are in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.home-assistant.io\/integrations\/light\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.home-assistant.io\/integrations\/light\/\">Home Assistant documentation<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>- alias: \"Close light 1\"\n  mode: single\n  trigger:\n  - platform: sun\n    event: sunset\n    offset: 01:00:00\n  action:\n  - service: light.turn_on\n    entity_id: light.coop_light\n    data:\n      brightness_pct: 50\n- alias: \"Close light 2\"\n  mode: single\n  trigger:\n  - platform: sun\n    event: sunset\n    offset: 1:15:00\n  action:\n  - service: light.turn_on\n    entity_id: light.coop_light\n    data:\n      brightness_pct: 30\n- alias: \"Close light 3\"\n  mode: single\n  trigger:\n  - platform: sun\n    event: sunset\n    offset: 01:30:00\n  action:\n  - service: light.turn_on\n    entity_id: light.coop_light\n    data: \n      brightness_pct: 15\n- alias: \"Close light 4 (done)\"\n  mode: single\n  trigger:\n  - platform: sun\n    event: sunset\n    offset: 01:45:00\n  action:\n  - service: light.turn_on\n    entity_id: light.coop_light\n    data:\n      brightness_pct: 0\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>The hardware I used for this a a dimmable light, in my case a Sinop\u00e9 Zigbee smart dimmer: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"azp-product-area azp-list-style \">\n    \n\n        <!-- azp-each-product -->\n        <div class=\"azp-each-product azp-each-list azp_list_item_1\">\n            <!-- azp--product-content -->\n            <div class=\"azp-product-content\">\n                <!-- azp-visual-part -->\n                <div class=\"azp-visual-part\">\n                    <div class=\"azp-img-wrapper\">\n                        <a  class=\"azp-url azp_image_link\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07BN188C1?tag=robbench-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1\">\n    <img alt=\"Sinop\u00e9 Smart programmable...image\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31OdBsXkd3L._SL160_.jpg\"\/>\n<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <!-- \/.azp-visual-part -->\n                <!-- description -->\n                <div class=\"azp-info-part\">\n                    <div class=\"azp-title\">\n                        <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"azp-url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07BN188C1?tag=robbench-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1\" title=\"Sinop&eacute; Smart programmable dimmer Switch 600 W - Zigbee\">\n    Sinop\u00e9 Smart programmable dimmer Switch 600 W - Zigbee<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"azp-feature-list\">\n                                            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"azp-info-footer\">\n                                                                            \n<div class=\"azp-price\">\n            <span class=\"azp-recent-price\">\n                    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <!-- description -->\n            <\/div>\n            <!-- \/.azp-product-content -->\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- \/.azp-each--product -->\n                <\/div>\n<!-- \/.azp-product-area -->\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I hope that the products recommended here will help you build great projects. Just so you know, if you buy through the links on this page on Amazon or Banggood (among others), RobotsBench may get a small share of the sale (as an Amazon affilate, I earn from qualifying purchases). This helps to keep the &#8230; <a title=\"How to code a Home Assistant automation sun condition\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/home-assistant-automation-sun-condition\/\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to code a Home Assistant automation sun condition<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"The current status of the sun (sunrise or sunset) can come in handy for a variety of Home Assistant automations that rely on the light instead of a specific time.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[139,108,88],"tags":[132,131,138,137,133],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>I hope that the products recommended here will help you build great projects. Just so you know, if you buy through the links on this page on Amazon or Banggood (among others), RobotsBench may get a small share of the sale (as an Amazon affilate, I earn from qualifying purchases). This helps to keep the site alive and allow me to write more articles. Thank you! In Home Assistant, an automation is a action that runs one time when a condition is reached. The condition itself is called a trigger. There are many types of trigger available such as: The&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/home-automation\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Home Automation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/products\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Products<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/raspberry-pi\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Raspberry Pi<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Cindy","url":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/author\/cindyptn\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>I hope that the products recommended here will help you build great projects. Just so you know, if you buy through the links on this page on Amazon or Banggood (among others), RobotsBench may get a small share of the sale (as an Amazon affilate, I earn from qualifying purchases). This helps to keep the site alive and allow me to write more articles. Thank you! In Home Assistant, an automation is a action that runs one time when a condition is reached. The condition itself is called a trigger. There are many types of trigger available such as: The&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/home-automation\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Home Automation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/products\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Products<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/category\/raspberry-pi\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Raspberry Pi<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Cindy","url":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/author\/cindyptn\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1192,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions\/1192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robotsbench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}