Labels vs groups in automations?

I’ve been thinking about whether I want to start using labels by integrating them in automations.

I currently have a list of customized battery entities, where I add the type of battery as an attribute and an automation that sends me a notification, if any of those entities goes low. This also means that I have to edit both places for every new/removed battery device.

This is where labels or groups could come in and building the automation in a way that doesn’t require changes for new/removed devices. Same goes for stuff like lights etc. basically anything that would be grouped and used in an automation

How do you handle stuff like this? Do you use labels/groups or something else?

One thing to consider in the groups vs. labels debate is that I am currently unaware of how to group or sort by labels. However you can filter by labels. This might be an oversight, but I ran into this after putting some time into adding some labels and it took me some time to realize the labels were for filtering.

I was thinking about this too, as I have been a long time Home Assistant user and have many YAML configured groups still.

One thing to consider is control through voice assistants. For example, using groups easily allows for Alexa voice control support over labels, which are better suited for scheduled automations that don’t really require voice control, e.g., front porch lighting. Additionally, if you need to check a condition, you’d have to use a group here, as labels are stateless and cannot be used in conditions.

One great use case I’ve found for labels is holiday lighting for my smart plugs used on different holidays. These are not only scheduled but are also only used during certain times of the year. Labels help in this situation because I don’t have to maintain a bunch of groups. I just schedule the automation to target the labels, and it is out of sight, out of mind in a way.

This has an added bonus too, as if I happen to mix up my smart plugs, I don’t have to remember which one is the little pumpkin light during Halloween, and which one controls the staircase string lights at Christmas time. I find it easier to switch labels in the UI instead of manipulating the groups I might still have in YAML.