Energyeasy

Nobody Lives in That Room

The light bill is not a participation trophy.

The problem

Lights blazing in empty rooms all day. The laundry. The pantry. The downstairs loo at 2pm in summer.

What it does

When a room has had no motion for 8 minutes, the lights go off. If anyone's actually in there, motion keeps them on. Simple. Ruthless.

You'll need

Motion sensor per room
Smart lights or switches

The payoff

Trims phantom lighting load — typically a few dollars a week per room.

The YAML

alias: "Angry Dad — Lights Out (Empty Room)"
description: Turns lights off after no motion. Add one per room or use a label.
mode: restart
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.laundry_motion
    to: "off"
    for:
      minutes: 8
conditions:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: light.laundry
    state: "on"
actions:
  - action: light.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: light.laundry

Drop this into an automation (or a package under config/packages/) and swap the entity IDs for your own.

Want the next one automatically?

One automation like this in your inbox every week.

Don't fancy the DIY?

Get Dycom Automation to do it properly.

Reading YAML isn't everyone's idea of a good night in. Dycom Automation — the grown-up, properly-insured version of all this — will design, install and tune your whole smart home for you. Same ruthless automations, none of the swearing.

Get it done by Dycom Automation →