🌞 Automatic blinds / sunscreen control based on sun platform

[langestefan (Stefan de Lange)]

IMPORTANT: Adaptive cover integration

There is now a fully-featured integration available through HACS developed by @basbrus. It will manage your sun blinds, has additional climate controls and supports tilted, horizontal and vertical covers. The blog post announcing it can be found here.

---- ORIGINAL POST BELOW ----

Hi

I came up with a template sensor that calculates the optimal sunscreen height so that you can automatically control your blinds based on the sun's position in the sky.

It uses trigonometry to regulate the amount of natural light while keeping the blinds low enough to block the sun from hitting your eyes.

@basbrus made a very nice blueprint which automates everything for you.

All the technical details and a detailed explanation of how it works can be found in this post:
Automatic blinds / sunscreen control based on sun platform

Let me know what you think!

[kapryk]

There should be an option to set the minimum position of the blind. e.g. 30%

[langestefan (Stefan de Lange)]

This is added now

[lanto (Leo)]

Hi all,
I’m a new blueprint “sunscreen control based…”, user and I’ve installed yesterday this blue print.
My sunscreen cover are in the both side of my flat. Today the first test appear great, thanks to @langestefan blueprint. My problem is regarding wind. In the last week we have experienced wind of 15 m/sec, or 50km/h. I don’t know if is possible to add a "wind " control to raise the awning based on my wind sensor.
Thank you.
Leo

[langestefan (Stefan de Lange)]

You can write your own automation that will override control of the blueprint. There are some examples in the main thread which I linked above. Ps you can also use the adaptive cover integration now, it has much more features: GitHub - basbruss/adaptive-cover: An Adaptive Cover component for HomeAsisstant to control covers based on the sun's position

[lanto (Leo)]

Hi @langestefan,
I need to integrate also wind control for my awning safety.
I’m learning now how to write my automation using templating and so on.
Thank you.
Leo

[basbrus (Bas)]

The blueprint is not really build for awnings, but only for vertical positioned type of blinds/covers.

The integration built by me and mentioned by @langestefan has additional code for horizontal positioned blinds (awnings).

No need to use templating within an automation to control for windspeeds

trigger:
  - id: wind_high
    platform: numeric_state
    above: 12 #m/s
    entity_id: sensor.wind_speed
  - id: wind_safe
    platform: numeric_state
    below: 12 #m/s
    entity_id: sensor.wind_speed
action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - condition: trigger
            id: "wind_high"
        sequence:
          - service: automation.turn_off
            metadata: {}
            data:
              stop_actions: true
            target:
              entity_id: automation.blueprint_sunblind
          - service: cover.open_cover
            target:
              entity_id: cover.awning
      - conditions:
          - condition: trigger
            id: "wind_safe"
        sequence:
          - service: automation.turn_on
            metadata: {}
            target:
              entity_id: automation.blueprint_sunblind

Or if you use the integration change the service calls for the automation to switch calls targeting the control toggle switch

[lanto (Leo)]

Hi @basbrus,
I think that also I must full open the awnings, btw I learn how to!
Thank you
Leo

[basbrus (Bas)]

@basbrus

          - service: cover.open_cover
            target:
              entity_id: cover.awning

This part of the automation already opens the cover fully when the windspeed is to high

[lanto (Leo)]

@basbrus @langestefan

It’s working! Tomorrow next test, I’ve two awing at 180° (est/west).
Thank you!

IMHO I think that I must put a “timer” after “wind_high” to prevent awning flapping!

Done!

[Ars4l4n (Arsalan)]

Could you simplify the blueprint in a way that would allow for someone with no automatic blinds to use it?
The idea is I get a notification to raise my blinds once the sun doesn’t shine through my window anymore.

[basbrus (Bas)]

No need to simplify the blueprint. You can just to that with the most basic automation. You only need to know the azimuth when the sun doesn’t shine through your window.

description: ""
mode: single
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id:
      - sun.sun
    attribute: azimuth
    above: 180
condition: []
action:
  - service: notify.send_message
    metadata: {}
    data: {}

So this automation can send a notifcation when the suns azimuth is above 180 for example.

[Ars4l4n (Arsalan)]

Is the Azimuth for when that happens going to change throughout the sunny months of the year?

[basbrus (Bas)]

No it’s an absolute compass value, unless the elevation 0 is below you can consider to open it earlier. For that you can add a trigger for the elevation attribute below 1. If you are in the Northern hemisphere this only holds for North-west oriented windows

[Ars4l4n (Arsalan)]

unless the elevation 0 is below you can consider to open it earlier. For that you can add a trigger for the elevation attribute below 1.

No idea what you mean by any of that.

If you are in the Northern hemisphere this only holds for North-west oriented windows

I’m in the Northern Hemisphere and my window faces to the South-East. So, what do I do now?

[Nickoo]

Hi, I’ve at last managed to get my two bioclimatique Somfy pergolas working with HA using Overkiz. One is facing slightly East of South, the other slightly West of South. I’ve set up a control system with HA automations so I can either choose them to open to let in the sun for solar gain in the winter, or block the sun to limit the summer heat. It sort-of works using hourly repositioning with HA automation, but when the clocks go back or forward it gets screwed up… so I’ve just changed to using solar azimuths as I note that HA has this data as a standard in the ‘Sun’ service. But will it work all year round, with the variation in solar elevation? - I’m in the south of France close to the 45th parallel. Thanks in advance for any reassurance you can give me.