Set thermostat preset mode

Use this action to set the preset mode of a climate device, for example to switch a thermostat to an energy-saving or away preset.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To set the preset mode from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. Select what you want to control. Under By target (see Targets), select the climate device you want to control.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Set thermostat preset mode.
7. Set the Preset mode you want to apply.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as climate.set_preset_mode. A basic example looks like this:

action: climate.set_preset_mode
target:
  entity_id: climate.living_room
data:
  preset_mode: eco

This sets climate.living_room to the eco preset.

Options in YAML

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching climate entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific climate entity, such as climate.living_room.
• Device: every climate entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every climate entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every climate entity on a floor.
• Label: every climate entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

Good to know

• The available presets depend on the climate device. An away preset, for example, often sets the target temperature to an energy-saving value, which is handy for a vacation mode.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: switch to the away preset when you leave

Set a climate device to an energy-saving preset when nobody is home.

• Trigger: Person leaves home
• Action: Set thermostat preset mode
  • Target: Living room thermostat
  • Preset mode: away

- alias: "Switch the thermostat to the away preset when you leave"
  triggers:
    - trigger: state
      entity_id: person.home_owner
      to: not_home
  actions:
    - action: climate.set_preset_mode
      target:
        entity_id: climate.living_room
      data:
        preset_mode: away

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

• Set thermostat HVAC mode: Sets the HVAC mode of a climate device.

• Set thermostat target temperature: Sets the target temperature of a climate device.

• Set thermostat fan mode: Sets the fan mode of a climate device.