Have you ever used a delayed start on a washing machine? If so welcome to home automation. I'm only half joking - many home devices already have some timer based functions.

The next step is to be able to program them in a more complex way together. Like - I want my laundry to be finished 15 min before I come home. At the same time water heater should come on so there is enough hot water for a shower later.

Having my lights turn off from a voice control is really useful when I want to take a nap but I found that it was weird having all this shit tied into a strangers cloud (google, amazon, apple, whatever). If its hosted at home its usually just fine. As long as ET doesn't phone home.

I'm using home assistant with thermostats and humidity/temperature sensors mostly to get information how the house heats and how the rooms are affected by humidity and temperature changes.

I also automated two dehumidifiers with those sensors and zigbee plugs to not run 24/7 but in defined windows when the noise isn't bothering anyone and if the humidity triggers certain thresholds. The automation also has hysteresis sesstongs so the devices do not constantly turn on and off.

In general I don't automate to a point where I can just flick a switch or turn on something manually. But it is nice to be able to control and see everything.

Here is a list of some practical uses so far:

• Get a notification on the phone when the washer is done.
• Charge the car when electricity is cheap
• Turn on humidifier if sufficiently humid and no motion near it for a while
• Automatically lock the front door at night
• Toggle lights with a shortcut key on the keyboard
• Change target thermostats for different rooms and different time of day.

Also nice to learn about the house:

• Breakdown of electricity usage. (How much actually goes to heating, car, etc)
• Answer questions like "When did I really go to bed last night?". Etc