Home Assistant Heatwave Automation Guide with Presence, Temperature and IR Control
Heatwave automation should not only turn an AC on earlier. A stronger Home Assistant setup knows which rooms are occupied, how warm and humid each room feels, which IR appliance can cool or circulate air, and when to save energy without making people, pets, or vulnerable rooms uncomfortable.
Start with a Heatwave Control Goal
Most smart homes already have schedules. During a heatwave, schedules are not enough. A room may be empty for six hours, occupied by a pet, or used by someone sitting still. Cooling decisions should be based on room use, comfort conditions, and safety priority.
- Comfort: keep occupied rooms within a reasonable temperature and humidity range.
- Energy saving: reduce empty-room cooling and avoid short AC cycles.
- Safety: protect pet rooms, elder-care rooms, bedrooms, and work-from-home rooms.
- Local reliability: keep critical IR routines available through Home Assistant and local control.
Recommended LinknLink Device Roles
| Device | Heatwave role | Best room fit | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| eMotion Ultra | 60GHz presence, temperature and humidity sensor cable, built-in IR control | Living room, bedroom, elder-care room, high-value climate zone | View eMotion Ultra |
| eMotion Pro | mmWave presence plus IR room control for AC, TV, fan, and media scenes | Room where presence and IR are both needed | View eMotion Pro |
| eMotion Air | Flexible battery-powered presence sensing | Renter-friendly rooms, small apartments, flexible placement | View eMotion Air |
| eRemote HA | Dedicated local IR hub for existing AC, fans, TVs, and projectors | Rooms with existing IR appliances | View eRemote HA |
| HomeClaw | Local Home Assistant gateway for private automation and local control | Whole-home automation base | View HomeClaw |
Core Home Assistant Entities to Prepare
A heatwave setup works best when it uses simple helper entities. This keeps the logic readable and makes it easier to adjust thresholds without editing every automation.
| Entity or helper | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Presence sensor | binary_sensor.living_room_presence | Knows whether the room is actually in use. |
| Temperature sensor | sensor.living_room_temperature | Triggers cooling or fan scenes based on room conditions. |
| Humidity sensor | sensor.living_room_humidity | Extends airflow when humidity makes the room feel warmer. |
| Room priority helper | input_select.heatwave_room_priority | Switches between normal, pet, elder-care, sleep, and away rules. |
| IR climate scene | script.living_room_ac_cool | Sends AC, fan, or mode commands through eRemote HA, eMotion Pro, or eMotion Ultra. |
Heatwave Automation Logic
Detect real room use
Use mmWave presence rather than a basic motion-only trigger for cooling. People often sit still during hot afternoons, and a basic motion sensor may mark the room empty too early.
Check temperature and humidity together
High humidity can make a room feel uncomfortable even when the temperature is only moderately high. eMotion Ultra is useful here because it combines 60GHz presence, a temperature and humidity sensor cable, and built-in IR control.
Send a local IR cooling command
Use eRemote HA for dedicated local IR control, or use eMotion Pro and eMotion Ultra when the same room also needs presence sensing and IR commands.
Delay shutdown after vacancy
Do not switch cooling off the moment a room becomes empty. Add a 10-15 minute grace period to avoid short cycling and to protect rooms where presence can temporarily disappear during movement.
Keep a manual override
Use a Home Assistant dashboard, HomeClaw, or iSG Display Max as a local control surface so people can override a scene during extreme weather.
Example Room Rules
Living room cooling
If presence is detected and the temperature is above the comfort threshold, send a cooling IR command. If the room is empty for 15 minutes, raise the setpoint or switch to fan mode.
Bedroom sleep mode
Use a lower noise scene at night and avoid turning airflow off while presence remains active. Pair this with sleep mode or quiet fan presets.
Pet-safe area
Use stricter thresholds in a pet room. If temperature remains high while presence is detected, trigger an alert and keep airflow on.
Away heat protection
During vacation mode, avoid full-home cooling, but keep safety thresholds for electronics, plants, pets, and high-humidity spaces.
Sample Automation Blueprint
The exact YAML depends on your device names and IR scripts, but the structure below shows the pattern. Keep the thresholds in helpers so you can adjust them during a heatwave without rewriting the automation.
Trigger:
living_room_temperature rises above heatwave_threshold
living_room_presence changes to occupied
Conditions:
room_priority is not "off"
Home Assistant is in home, pet, elder care, or sleep mode
Actions:
if presence is occupied:
run script.living_room_ac_cool
if humidity is high:
run script.living_room_fan_airflow
if room has been empty for 15 minutes:
run script.living_room_ac_energy_saver
if pet_or_elder_mode is active and temperature stays high:
send alert and keep airflow scene active
When to Use eMotion Air, Pro, or Ultra
The product choice should follow the room, not the other way around. For a renter-friendly or flexible placement room, eMotion Air is a good presence layer. For a room where AC or TV control matters, eMotion Pro adds IR control. For a room where heat comfort needs extra context, eMotion Ultra adds 60GHz presence, temperature and humidity data, and built-in IR in one device.
Internal Link Plan for This Setup
- Europe Heatwave: Smart Home Cooling and Energy-Saving Automation for the news context.
- Home Assistant AC Automation with IR Blaster and Presence Sensors for AC scene setup.
- Home Assistant Pet Care Automation with Presence Sensors and Local IR Control for pet-safe heat rules.
- Home Assistant Vacation Mode Automation with Presence Sensors and IR Control for away-mode heat protection.
- Home Assistant Presence Sensor Troubleshooting for false occupancy and room boundary cleanup.
- Local Control Smart Home Guide for Home Assistant for local-first automation planning.
FAQ
Can Home Assistant reduce cooling waste during a heatwave?
Yes. Home Assistant can combine presence, temperature, humidity, and IR control to cool occupied rooms while reducing empty-room cooling.
Which LinknLink product helps control an existing AC?
Use eRemote HA for dedicated local IR control, or use eMotion Pro and eMotion Ultra when you also want presence sensing with built-in IR in the same room.
Does eMotion Ultra include temperature and humidity data?
Yes. eMotion Ultra includes 60GHz mmWave presence sensing, a temperature and humidity sensor cable, and built-in IR control.
Why is mmWave presence better than basic motion for heatwave cooling?
mmWave presence can keep a room marked occupied while someone is sitting still, which helps avoid turning off cooling too early.
Should heatwave automations depend only on cloud services?
No. Local-first routines are more resilient when internet services, apps, or grid conditions are under stress.
Build Heatwave Automation Around Real Room Use
Use LinknLink presence sensors, temperature and humidity context, local IR control, and Home Assistant gateways to make cooling more useful, efficient, and resilient.
Explore eMotion Ultra Control AC with eRemote HA