[Velair Blueprint] Occupancy home and away

Blueprints Exchange
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This blueprint runs chosen Home Assistant actions when one consolidated occupancy entity changes between occupied and empty.

A common Velair setup is to select a Home Mode when somebody is present and an Away Mode when the home becomes empty. However, the blueprint is not limited to Velair: both branches accept standard Home Assistant actions.

Import Blueprint

What it does

  • Runs the configured occupied actions after the entity remains on or home for the selected delay.
  • Runs the configured empty actions after it remains off or not_home for the selected delay.
  • Accepts actions created with Home Assistant’s visual automation editor.
  • Reports a sustained unknown or unavailable occupancy state through one persistent notification.
  • Automatically dismisses that notification when the entity recovers.
  • Re-evaluates the current state safely after Home Assistant restarts.
  • Uses state events and native for timers; it does not poll.

Requirements

  • Home Assistant 2024.6.0 or newer.
  • One consolidated occupancy entity:
    • a binary_sensor or input_boolean reporting on/off; or
    • a person group reporting home/not_home.

Velair is required only when the configured actions use Velair Modes, Profiles, entities or services.

The blueprint deliberately accepts one already-resolved entity. Combine people, guests and household exceptions first with a Home Assistant group, template binary sensor or helper.

Example with Velair

For When occupied, add a Select: Select action and choose the visible Velair Mode entity and the Home option.

For When empty, configure the same action with the Away option.

This keeps the current Mode visible in Home Assistant and avoids depending on a manually assumed entity ID.

You can also activate a Profile directly with:

action: velair.activate_profile
data:
  profile_id: home

Availability handling

While the occupancy entity is unknown or unavailable, neither the occupied nor empty actions run. After the configurable warning delay—5 minutes by default—Home Assistant explains which entity is preventing a safe decision.

Brief state changes do not trigger actions because the selected delay must complete continuously.

Version and updates

  • Blueprint version: 1.0.0
  • Released with Velair: 1.6.0
  • Minimum Home Assistant version: 2024.6.0

The import button follows the rolling version maintained on GitHub. Home Assistant does not update imported blueprints automatically; re-import the same URL to install a compatible update.

Version 1 updates preserve existing input names and provide defaults for new inputs. Using Take control creates an independent automation that no longer receives blueprint updates.

Documentation and source

Feedback and real-world examples are welcome, especially around how you consolidate household occupancy and which Home/Away actions you find useful.

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