Set system mode

Use this action to switch your Evohome system to a different mode, such as Away while you are on holiday or AutoWithEco to run a little cooler. You can set the mode indefinitely, or for a set time after which the system reverts to Auto on its own.

This is the native Evohome way to set a time-limited mode, such as being away for three days rather than away indefinitely. Not every system supports every mode.

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 system 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. From the search box, search for and select Honeywell Total Connect Comfort (Europe): Set system mode.
6. Choose the Mode you want. Select the controller Entity, and optionally set a Period or Duration.
7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you choose the controller in the Entity field.

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 evohome.set_system_mode. A basic example looks like this:

action: evohome.set_system_mode
data:
  entity_id: climate.my_home
  mode: AutoWithEco
  duration:
    hours: 1
    minutes: 30

This runs the system in AutoWithEco for one and a half hours, then reverts to Auto.

To go away for a number of days, use period instead of duration:

action: evohome.set_system_mode
data:
  entity_id: climate.my_home
  mode: Away
  period:
    days: 30

Options in YAML

Good to know

• The period and duration options can’t be combined. Use duration with AutoWithEco, and period with Away, DayOff, or Custom. The Auto and HeatingOff modes don’t take a time.
• Specify the controller’s climate entity with entity_id so the action knows which system to set.
• For everyday changes, the generic climate actions also work. The native Evohome actions add access to the time-limited modes, which can be useful when integrating with third-party systems such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

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 Away mode when everyone leaves

When the last person leaves home, put the heating system into Away mode so it runs at a lower setpoint until someone returns.

• Trigger: Everyone has left home
• Action: Honeywell Total Connect Comfort (Europe): Set system mode, with mode Away

alias: "Set Evohome to Away when everyone leaves"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: zone.home
    to: "0"
actions:
  - action: evohome.set_system_mode
    data:
      entity_id: climate.my_home
      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 zone override: Overrides a heating zone’s setpoint, either indefinitely or for a set time.

• Set DHW override: Overrides the domestic hot water state, either indefinitely or for a set time.