sunload

Sunload sensor for Home Assistant

Description

This is a platform that will create a number of sensors that can help to make blueprints easier to use.

Why a platform?

It was the longest day, Dec 21, 2021, and the sun was pouring through the loungeroom window - "About time I wrote that automation to close the blinds on a 30degC day"

I originally tried to do this entirely as a blueprint but quickly realised automations are not really great at choose, the automations can be made significantly simpler if logic is deferred to sensors.

This can be achieved in configuration.yaml - see appendix at the bottom - but I threw this platform together.

Sensors

Names

Creates a number of sensors from sun.sun attributes

• sensor.sunload_elevation
• sensor.sunload.azimuth

tip: you can add these sensors to a Sensor Card in the UI so you're not guessing where the sun is right now

Every instance gets a sensor of the form "sensor.sunload_{}".format(INSTANCE_NAME)

Values

Each of these instance sensors has the following attributes

• inazimuth, bool - the sun is between the azimuth limits for this instance
• inelevation , bool - the sun is between the elevation limits for this instance
• state, bool - inazimuth and inelevation

Installation

This code needs to run on your HA installation, if you're uncomfortable with that, have a look at the appendix below which has a simpler implementation

---

this code is freshly minted so it's gonna have bugs!

---

Shell to the config/custom_components directory on your HA install, then clone this repo

git clone https://github.com/barneyman/sunload.git

Restart your HA, then change configuration/yaml, then restart HA once again - HA will complain about the addon being untested by their team.

Deleting the config entries will stop this code executng. When not used, the sunload directory can be removed

Example Config

sunload:
  instances:
    # this will create sensor.sunload_northside
    - name: northside
      azimuth:
        min: 70
        max: 350
      elevation:
        # min and max for elevation are optional
        min: 5
    # this will create sensor.sunload_southside
    - name: southside
      azimuth:
        min: 330
        max: 270
      elevation:
        # min and max for elevation are optional
        min: 5

Example Automation using above

- alias: reduce northside sunload
  trigger:
    # when sun is on the north face
    platform: state
    entity_id:
      - sensor.sunload_northside
    to: True

  condition: 
  # if i'm home and the forecast > 30 degs
     - condition: and
       conditions:
        - condition: numeric_state 
          # this is a template sensor i created from {{ states.weather.beachhouse.attributes["temperature"] |float() }}
          entity_id: sensor.forecast_temp
          above: 30
        - condition: state
          entity_id:
            - device_tracker.galaxy_note10
          state: 'home'

  action:
    - service: cover.close_cover
      entity_id: cover.north_blinds      
  

- alias: open northside sunload
  trigger:
    # when sun is off north face
    platform: state
    entity_id:
      - sensor.sunload_northside
    to: False
  condition:
  # if i'm home
    - condition: state
      entity_id:
        - device_tracker.galaxy_note10
      state: 'home'

  action:
    - service: cover.open_cover
      entity_id: cover.north_blinds

`

Appendix - Configuration ONLY Alternative

Attributes exposed as Sensors

template:
  - sensor:
      - name: "Sun Azimuth"
        unit_of_measurement: "°"
        state_class: "measurement"
        state: >
          {{ state_attr('sun.sun', 'azimuth') }}

      - name: "Sun Elevation"
        unit_of_measurement: "°"
        state_class: "measurement"
        state: >
          {{ state_attr('sun.sun', 'elevation') }}

BinarySensors doing the logic (Examples)

- binary_sensor:
      - name: Sun Azimuth Test
        state: >
          {{  states.sensor.sun_azimuth.state | int() < 70 and states.sensor.sun_azimuth.state |int() > 5 }}

      - name: Sun Elevation Test
        state: >
          {{ states.sensor.sun_elevation.state | int() > 5 and states.sensor.sun_elevation.state | int() < 60 }}
      - name: Sun Azimuth And Elevation Test
        state: >
          {{ states.sensor.sun_elevation_test.state and sensor.sun_azimuth_test.state < 60 }}