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. Select what you want to control. Under By target (see Targets), select your Evohome controller’s climate entity.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Set system mode.
7. Choose the Mode you want, and optionally set a Period or Duration.
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. For how an automation or a script is built in YAML, refer to Automations in YAML and Scripts.

In YAML, refer to this action as evohome.set_system_mode. A basic example looks like this:

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

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.

To learn which entities Home Assistant includes for a device, area, floor, or label, and how it handles several entities, refer to Automation targets.

To leave out some of these entities, refer to Excluding targets. For example, you can leave out one climate entity in an area.

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.
• Target the controller’s climate entity. Only the controller has a system mode, so targeting a heating zone returns an error.
• 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 Settings > 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. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

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: State changed
  • Entity: Home zone
  • To: 0
• Action: Honeywell Total Connect Comfort (Europe): Set system mode, with mode Away
  • Target: My home (climate.my_home)

alias: "Set Evohome to Away when everyone leaves"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: zone.home
    to: "0"
actions:
  - action: evohome.set_system_mode
    target:
      entity_id: climate.my_home
    data:
      mode: Away

Still stuck?

To test the action on its own, run it in the automation editor with Run action, and check the message that it shows. To see what the action did when the automation ran, open the trace of that run. For details, refer to Testing automations. For common problems and their solutions, refer to Troubleshooting automations.

If that doesn’t help, 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

Explore related actions:

• 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.