Hello i am thinking about to close the covers if the sun is shining on the window.
Would if be best to solve it with a Light-Sensor in order to find out if the sun is shining on the window or is it better to do wit azimuth of the sun but is is then more geneall?
I do this. I have multiple light sensors inside and out. Here’s how I use them.
I average three outdoor light sensors I have outside in a helper. I use the numeric state of that average helper to drive the automations/conditions.
2 of the sensors are on opposing sides of the house. A simple automation of if numeric state of light sensor on east side of the house goes above 1000 and blinds are >25% open, then close blinds. This is especially useful on my office side that has full west facing sun. Only when it gets REALLY bright does it adjust the blinds. I have actionable notifications that instead of just closing the blinds, alexa or my phone will ask me and then close blinds if I confirm.
Outdoor light sensors are good to combat cloudy day syndrome in your home. If you have your indoor lights time blocked by sun or time then when there’s a storm during the day, it will be black in your house and no lights will be on. It’s better to conditionalize them off the outdoor illuminance being below ‘X’.
Not light related but when outdoor temp goes 100+, close all blinds.
If raining during day, open blinds (i like to watch rain and bring in more light). Sortof light related if you hook it up to the outdoor light sensors.
My exterior lights are conditionalized on light sensors too. Sometimes it get’s really dark during a storm and I’m coming home, I’d want the lights to come on.
I have an indoor light sensor in each room that will adjust the lights if it gets really dark in a room. Say, im in the gaming room which is very bright, and the lights are very bright. If I close the curtains, it blacks it out, the lights are super bright. Having the sensor in each room allows me to conditionalize independently in each room. if I want to take a nap in one room and don’t want it to impact the rest of the house. The outdoor sensors can’t help you here.
I use the Aeotec Trisensors. They’re the biggest pain in the butt to get paired but work well once set. The biggest benefit I’d say is being able to have the lights come on in the middle of the day if it gets too dark and auto adjusting the blinds in the afternoons. Worth it.
Wow what a great setup. Thanks a lot for the detailed description.
Seems to be not a so easy topic if I want to have it wokring in a good way
I think i will also try a combination between Light-Sensor outdoor, Outdoor temperature and probalby the weather forecast.