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Five Practical Home Assistant Automations

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By Taylor Brinton
2 min read
Five Practical Home Assistant Automations

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Home Assistant can do a lot on day one. Here are five simple automations that are easy to set up, genuinely useful, and won’t require advanced hardware. I’ll note where Zigbee/Z‑Wave help, but Wi‑Fi devices work great too.

1) Sunset Lighting

Turn on selected lights at sunset and turn them off at bedtime.

  • Trigger: Sun → sunset
  • Conditions: Only if someone is home
  • Actions: Turn on living room lights; turn off at 11:30 PM

If you’re starting with Wi‑Fi plugs for lamps, these are reliable: Kasa Smart Plug

2) Motion‑Activated Hall Lights

Light up a hallway when motion is detected, then auto‑off after a short delay.

  • Trigger: Motion sensor → on
  • Conditions: Only after sunset
  • Actions: Turn on light, wait 2 minutes, turn off

Zigbee sensors have great battery life and low latency: Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle

3) “Nobody’s Home” Energy Saver

When all tracked devices leave, turn off non‑essential plugs (office gear, lamps).

  • Trigger: person → not_home (all household)
  • Conditions: None
  • Actions: Turn off selected switches/plugs

Start simple with a few plugs; expand as you go: Kasa Smart Plug

4) Washer/Dryer Done Notifications

Get a mobile alert when the machine finishes based on plug power draw.

  • Trigger: Smart plug power drops below threshold for N minutes
  • Actions: Send mobile notification

This works with many plugs that report energy usage. If your plug doesn’t, you can still estimate with duration.

5) Morning Warm‑Up

Turn on a space heater or coffee machine for a short window when someone wakes up.

  • Trigger: Time → 6:30 AM OR first motion in kitchen
  • Conditions: Only on weekdays
  • Actions: Turn on plug for 20 minutes

Tips for Reliable Automations

  • Prefer local integrations (ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT, Z‑Wave JS) for fast, offline‑friendly control.
  • Use conditions to prevent automations from firing at the wrong time (e.g., daylight).
  • Start with one room; build confidence before expanding.
  • Name automations clearly: Sunset – Living Room Lamps, Hall – Motion Nightlight.

Questions or a favorite automation you use? Drop a comment or email me at [email protected].

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Home Assistant
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