Automation – { Think Rethink }

Effortless Mornings: Automate Your Espresso Machine with Home Assistant ☕🤖

Who doesn’t love waking up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee? For many of us, a perfect flat white is the ideal way to start the day. But what if you could automate your espresso machine to turn on just when you need it? With Home Assistant, you can do just that! In this post, I’ll share how I automated my espresso machine to turn on when I drop off my kids at school, ensuring a hot cup of coffee is ready when I get back home. 🚗🏫

How It Works

The automation leverages Home Assistant’s zone feature to detect when I leave the school zone after dropping off my kids. The espresso machine is connected to a smart switch, allowing me to control it through Home Assistant. The machine is turned on only during the morning drop-off times, ensuring it doesn’t activate in the afternoon or evening. If I don’t return home within 20 minutes, the machine is automatically turned off to save energy. 🌍💡

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the automation:

Monitor Your Mailbox with Home Assistant Automations

Imagine never having to wonder if there’s mail in your mailbox again. With a simple yet effective home automation setup, you can receive instant notifications on your dashboard whenever mail is delivered. Even better, the system automatically resets the alert when you empty the mailbox, ensuring you always stay updated without any manual intervention. Let’s dive into how you can achieve this seamless automation using Home Assistant and a couple of door sensors.

Implementation

To create this automation, you’ll need two door sensors: one on the inlet of the mailbox and the other on the door you open to retrieve the mail. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the YAML code that makes this magic happen: