2026.6.4
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Create vacation

The Create vacation action creates a vacation on the selected ecobee thermostat.

A vacation holds the thermostat at the cooling and heating temperatures you choose for a set period, which is handy when you are away from home for a while.

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 create a vacation 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. From the search box, search for and select ecobee: Create vacation.
  6. Select the Entity to create the vacation on, enter a Vacation name, and set the Cool temperature and Heat temperature. Optionally, set the start and end date and time, the fan mode, and the fan minimum on time.
  7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Entity (Required)

The ecobee thermostat on which to create the vacation.
Vacation name (Required)

The name of the vacation to create. It must be unique on the thermostat.
Cool temperature (Required)

The cooling temperature during the vacation.
Heat temperature (Required)

The heating temperature during the vacation.
Start date (Optional)

The date the vacation starts, in YYYY-MM-DD format. If omitted, the vacation starts immediately.
Start time (Optional)

The time the vacation starts, in the thermostat’s local time, in 24-hour HH:MM:SS format.
End date (Optional)

The date the vacation ends, in YYYY-MM-DD format. If omitted, the vacation lasts 14 days.
End time (Optional)

The time the vacation ends, in the thermostat’s local time, in 24-hour HH:MM:SS format.
Fan mode (Optional)

The fan mode during the vacation, either auto or on.
Fan minimum on time (Optional)

The minimum number of minutes to run the fan each hour during the vacation, from 0 to 60.

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 ecobee.create_vacation. A basic example looks like this:

ActionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called *sequence*. [Learn more] 
action: ecobee.create_vacation
data:
  entity_id: climate.living_room
  vacation_name: "Skiing"
  cool_temp: 25
  heat_temp: 19

This creates a vacation named Skiing on climate.living_room, starting immediately and lasting 14 days.

Options in YAML

entity_id string Required

The ecobee thermostat on which to create the vacation.

vacation_name string Required

The name of the vacation to create. It must be unique on the thermostat.

cool_temp float Required

The cooling temperature during the vacation.

heat_temp float Required

The heating temperature during the vacation.

start_date string

The date the vacation starts, in YYYY-MM-DD format. If omitted, the vacation starts immediately.

start_time time

The time the vacation starts, in the thermostat’s local time, in 24-hour HH:MM:SS format.

end_date string

The date the vacation ends, in YYYY-MM-DD format. If omitted, the vacation lasts 14 days.

end_time time

The time the vacation ends, in the thermostat’s local time, in 24-hour HH:MM:SS format.

fan_mode string

The fan mode during the vacation, either auto or on.

fan_min_on_time integer

The minimum number of minutes to run the fan each hour during the vacation, from 0 to 60.

Good to know

  • The start and end date and time only take effect when they are all specified together. If you leave them out, the vacation starts immediately and lasts 14 days, unless you delete it earlier.

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.

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.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

  • Delete vacation: Deletes a vacation on the selected ecobee thermostat.

  • Resume program: Resumes the programmed schedule on an ecobee thermostat.