Set fan minimum on time

The Set fan minimum on time action sets the minimum amount of time, in minutes, that the fan runs each hour.

This is handy when you want to keep air circulating for a set number of minutes per hour, for example to even out the temperature between rooms.

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 fan minimum on time 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: Set fan minimum on time.
  6. Set the Fan minimum on time. Optionally, select the Entity to apply it to.
  7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Entity (Optional)

The ecobee thermostat, or thermostats, to apply this to. Omit to apply to all ecobee thermostats.

Fan minimum on time (Required)

The minimum number of minutes to run the fan each hour, 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.set_fan_min_on_time. 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.set_fan_min_on_time
data:
  entity_id: climate.living_room
  fan_min_on_time: 15

This runs the fan for at least 15 minutes each hour on climate.living_room.

Options in YAML

entity_id string

The ecobee thermostat, or list of thermostats, to apply this to. Omit to apply to all ecobee thermostats.

fan_min_on_time integer Required

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

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: