Home Assistant Entities

When to Use This Skill

Entity ID Structure

domain.object_id

Examples:

• light.living_room_ceiling
• sensor.outdoor_temperature
• binary_sensor.front_door_contact
• switch.garden_irrigation

Common Domains

Device Classes

Binary Sensor Device Classes

Sensor Device Classes

Entity Customization

customize.yaml

# Single entity
light.living_room:
  friendly_name: "Living Room Light"
  icon: mdi:ceiling-light

# Binary sensor
binary_sensor.front_door:
  friendly_name: "Front Door"
  device_class: door

# Sensor
sensor.outdoor_temperature:
  friendly_name: "Outdoor Temperature"
  device_class: temperature
  unit_of_measurement: "°C"

# Hide entity from UI
sensor.internal_counter:
  hidden: true

Glob Customization

# Customize all entities matching pattern
customize_glob:
  "light.*_ceiling":
    icon: mdi:ceiling-light

  "sensor.*_temperature":
    device_class: temperature
    unit_of_measurement: "°C"

  "binary_sensor.*_motion":
    device_class: motion

  "switch.outlet_*":
    icon: mdi:power-socket-eu

Template Entities

Template Sensors

template:
  - sensor:
      # Simple state
      - name: "Average Temperature"
        unit_of_measurement: "°C"
        device_class: temperature
        state: >-
          {{ ((states('sensor.living_room_temp') | float +
               states('sensor.bedroom_temp') | float +
               states('sensor.kitchen_temp') | float) / 3) | round(1) }}

      # With attributes
      - name: "Power Usage"
        unit_of_measurement: "W"
        device_class: power
        state: "{{ states('sensor.energy_meter_power') }}"
        attributes:
          cost_per_hour: >-
            {{ (states('sensor.energy_meter_power') | float * 0.15 / 1000) | round(2) }}
          daily_estimate: >-
            {{ (states('sensor.energy_meter_power') | float * 24 / 1000) | round(1) }}

      # Availability
      - name: "Solar Power"
        unit_of_measurement: "W"
        device_class: power
        state: "{{ states('sensor.inverter_power') }}"
        availability: "{{ states('sensor.inverter_power') != 'unavailable' }}"

Template Binary Sensors

template:
  - binary_sensor:
      - name: "Anyone Home"
        device_class: presence
        state: >-
          {{ is_state('person.user1', 'home') or
             is_state('person.user2', 'home') }}

      - name: "House Secure"
        device_class: safety
        state: >-
          {{ is_state('lock.front_door', 'locked') and
             is_state('lock.back_door', 'locked') and
             is_state('cover.garage', 'closed') }}
        icon: >-
          {% if is_state('binary_sensor.house_secure', 'on') %}
            mdi:shield-check
          {% else %}
            mdi:shield-alert
          {% endif %}

      - name: "Washing Machine Running"
        device_class: running
        state: "{{ states('sensor.washer_power') | float > 10 }}"
        delay_off:
          minutes: 5

Template Switches

template:
  - switch:
      - name: "Guest Mode"
        state: "{{ is_state('input_boolean.guest_mode', 'on') }}"
        turn_on:
          - service: input_boolean.turn_on
            target:
              entity_id: input_boolean.guest_mode
          - service: notify.mobile_app
            data:
              message: "Guest mode enabled"
        turn_off:
          - service: input_boolean.turn_off
            target:
              entity_id: input_boolean.guest_mode

Template Buttons

template:
  - button:
      - name: "Restart Server"
        press:
          - service: shell_command.restart_server
          - service: notify.admin
            data:
              message: "Server restart initiated"

Template Numbers

template:
  - number:
      - name: "Volume"
        min: 0
        max: 100
        step: 5
        state: "{{ state_attr('media_player.tv', 'volume_level') | float * 100 }}"
        set_value:
          - service: media_player.volume_set
            target:
              entity_id: media_player.tv
            data:
              volume_level: "{{ value / 100 }}"

Groups

Basic Groups

group:
  all_lights:
    name: "All Lights"
    entities:
      - light.living_room
      - light.bedroom
      - light.kitchen
      - light.bathroom

  downstairs_lights:
    name: "Downstairs Lights"
    entities:
      - light.living_room
      - light.kitchen
      - light.hallway

Light Groups (Native)

light:
  - platform: group
    name: "All Downstairs Lights"
    unique_id: downstairs_lights
    entities:
      - light.living_room
      - light.kitchen
      - light.hallway

Cover Groups

cover:
  - platform: group
    name: "All Blinds"
    unique_id: all_blinds
    entities:
      - cover.living_room_blinds
      - cover.bedroom_blinds
      - cover.kitchen_blinds

Utility Meter

utility_meter:
  daily_energy:
    source: sensor.energy_meter_total
    name: "Daily Energy"
    cycle: daily

  monthly_energy:
    source: sensor.energy_meter_total
    name: "Monthly Energy"
    cycle: monthly
    tariffs:
      - peak
      - offpeak

  weekly_water:
    source: sensor.water_meter_total
    name: "Weekly Water"
    cycle: weekly

Counters and Timers

Counters

counter:
  coffee_count:
    name: "Coffees Today"
    initial: 0
    step: 1
    minimum: 0
    maximum: 20
    restore: false

  visitors:
    name: "Visitor Count"
    initial: 0
    step: 1

Timers

timer:
  laundry:
    name: "Laundry Timer"
    duration: "01:30:00"
    restore: true

  cooking:
    name: "Cooking Timer"
    duration: "00:30:00"
    icon: mdi:stove

State Attributes

Common Attributes

Accessing Attributes

# In templates
{{ state_attr('light.living_room', 'brightness') }}
{{ state_attr('climate.thermostat', 'current_temperature') }}
{{ state_attr('sun.sun', 'elevation') }}

# In conditions
condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: light.living_room
    attribute: brightness
    above: 100

Entity Registry

Finding Entity Information

# Developer Tools > States
# Shows all entities with current state and attributes

# Developer Tools > Services
# Test services with entity targets

# Configuration > Entities
# UI for managing entity settings

Entity Naming Best Practices

Quick Reference

State Functions

Filter Functions

# Count entities in state
{{ states.light | selectattr('state', 'eq', 'on') | list | count }}

# Get entities matching criteria
{{ states.sensor | selectattr('attributes.device_class', 'eq', 'temperature') | list }}

# Average of multiple sensors
{{ expand('group.temperature_sensors') | map(attribute='state') | map('float') | average }}

Agentic Optimizations