2026 Home Energy Goals: 5 Automations That Pay for Themselves

New year, new energy bills. If you're running Home Assistant, you have automation potential that most people never tap into. Here's what separates the hobbyists from the people actually saving money: automations that run without you thinking about them.

I've been refining my energy automation system for over a year. Five automations consistently deliver the most savings for the least effort. Here's what they do—and why they work.

1. Standby Killer

Your TV, soundbar, and game console draw 15-30W in standby—20+ hours a day. That's €25-70 per year doing absolutely nothing. Multiply that across your home and you're bleeding money.

The fix: cut power when devices have been off for 10 minutes, restore it before you'd typically use them.

# Standby Killer - TV Entertainment Center
alias: "Standby Killer - TV"
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: media_player.living_room_tv
    to: "off"
    for: "00:10:00"
condition:
  - condition: time
    after: "23:00:00"
    before: "06:00:00"
action:
  - service: switch.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: switch.tv_plug

This one automation saves €25-70/year. You'll need a matching "restore power" automation that triggers before your typical usage times—weekday evenings and weekend mornings.

That's one automation. Simple. Effective. Set it once, forget it exists, save money every night.

2. Cheap Rate Appliances

If you have dynamic pricing or day/night tariffs, this is free money. Your dishwasher and washing machine don't care when they run. Your wallet does.

The concept: Create a "waiting" state. When you load the dishwasher, mark it as waiting. The automation watches electricity prices and triggers the appliance when rates drop below your threshold.

Savings potential: €50-100/year depending on your tariff spread and appliance usage.

3. Away Mode

Heating an empty house to 21°C is pure waste. This automation detects when everyone leaves and drops heating, kills standby loads, and optionally arms security.

The concept: Use a presence group (phones, person entities, door sensors). When the group shows "not_home" for 15+ minutes, trigger energy-saving actions. The delay prevents false triggers when someone takes out the trash.

Savings potential: €30-60/year, more if you travel frequently.

4. Night Setback

A 3°C setback overnight (20°C → 17°C) typically saves 10-15% on heating. You're asleep—you won't notice. Your energy bill will.

The concept: Time-triggered temperature changes with workday awareness. Drop temperature at 23:00, restore at 06:00 on workdays, 08:00 on weekends. The Home Assistant workday sensor handles holidays automatically.

Savings potential: €40-100/year depending on your heating system and climate.

5. High Usage Alert

This one doesn't save money directly. It makes you aware of when you're burning through power. Awareness changes behavior. Behavior changes bills.

The concept: Monitor whole-house power. When consumption exceeds 150% of your baseline for 5+ minutes, send a notification. You want alerts for anomalies—a forgotten appliance, a malfunctioning device—not for making dinner.

Value: Catches problems before they cost you. One forgotten space heater alert can save more than a month of standby killing.

Why These 5?

I've tested dozens of energy automations. These five have the best ratio of effort to savings. They're also foundational—they work independently but become more powerful when combined.

That's the part most tutorials miss. Individual automations are useful. A system of automations that share sensors, helpers, and logic? That's where real optimization happens.

The Bigger Picture

These 5 automations are the starting point. The complete energy management system includes:

• 16 production-ready automations (not 5)
• Window-open detection that pauses heating instantly
• Vacation mode that drops everything to minimum
• Price-based scheduling that goes beyond "cheap/expensive"
• Dashboards that answer "how am I doing?" at a glance
• The architecture that makes it all work together

The individual automations matter. The system matters more.

Start Today

Copy the Standby Killer automation above. Implement it this weekend. Watch your idle power consumption drop.

One automation. Ten minutes. Real savings.

Happy 2026.