Hey everyone,
I want to share a custom integration I’ve been working on: Smart Venetian Blinds.
A quick disclaimer upfront: this was developed with the help of Claude (the AI assistant by Anthropic), and I’m using it personally every day. I’m quite satisfied with how it performs and especially with how smooth the configuration experience in the UI is.
What it does (and what it deliberately doesn’t do):
This integration is intentionally scoped to venetian blinds only — not roller shutters, not awnings. The focus is on calculating the precise slat angle that blocks direct sunlight while keeping as much daylight as possible.
That single focus allowed me to do the geometry properly and make the UI configuration feel clean.
How it works:
It calculates the optimal tilt angle from the sun’s real-time azimuth and elevation, combined with your window’s facade direction and your actual slat dimensions (width and spacing). The math is based on the standard
Z-profile slat formula.
Key features:
- Automatic slat angle calculation from sun position
- Window groups — multiple covers sharing the same facade orientation
- Manual override detection (“sleep mode”) — won’t disturb blinds you’ve closed manually
- Reflection protection for glare from balconies/terraces
- No-sun behaviour configuration (what to do at night or when sun isn’t hitting the facade)
- Motor throttling to reduce wear
- Full UI configuration — no YAML needed
Installation:
Custom repository via HACS: GitHub - herpaderpaldent/ha-smart-venetian-blinds: An Adaptive Cover component for HomeAsisstant to control venetian blinds based on the sun's position
Honorable Mentions & Inspiration
A few projects that inspired me or that I’d recommend if Smart Venetian Blinds isn’t the right fit for your setup:
- Adaptive Cover — The OG community project for sun-driven cover automation. Unfortunately abandoned. Supports a wide range of cover types and has a large community around it. If you need something battle-tested with broad cover support, start here.
- Smart Cover Automation by @helgek — A well-crafted integration focused on heat protection: closes covers when the sun shines on a window to keep the house cool, with cloud cover, temperature, and wind/hail protection
all factored in. Great UI configuration. Highly recommended if heat management is your primary goal.
My integration is deliberately narrower — if you have venetian blinds and care about precise slat angle control to manage light quality rather than just heat, that’s where Smart Venetian Blinds fills a gap.
Happy to answer questions or hear feedback from anyone else running venetian blinds!