Boost a Matter water heater

Use this action to turn on boost mode on a Matter water heater for a set period. A common use is to heat extra water ahead of time, for example before everyone gets up for a morning shower.

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 boost a water heater 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 water heater you want to boost.
  6. From the actions shown for that target, select Boost a Matter water heater.
  7. Set the Duration of the boost.
  8. Optionally, turn on Emergency boost or set a Temporary setpoint for the boost period.
  9. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Duration

How long the boost runs, in seconds. For example, enter 3600 for one hour.

Emergency boost (Optional)

Heat the water as quickly as possible for the duration of the boost. Off by default.

Temporary setpoint (Optional)

The target temperature to use during the boost, in degrees Celsius. Must be between 30 and 65.

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 matter.water_heater_boost. 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: matter.water_heater_boost
target:
  entity_id: water_heater.hot_water
data:
  duration: 3600

Options in YAML

duration integer Required

How long the boost runs, in seconds. For example, 3600 for one hour.

emergency_boost boolean

Heat the water as quickly as possible for the duration of the boost.

temporary_setpoint integer

The target temperature to use during the boost, in degrees Celsius. Must be between 30 and 65.

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 matter entity behind that target.

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

More examples

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

Tip

You don’t need to edit YAML to use these examples. Copy a YAML snippet from this page, open the automation editor in Home Assistant, and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac). Home Assistant automatically converts the pasted YAML into the visual editor format, whether it’s a full automation, a single trigger, a condition, or an action.

Automation: boost hot water before the morning shower

Heat extra water shortly before your household gets up, so there is plenty of hot water ready.

  • Trigger: Every day at 06:00
  • Action: Boost a Matter water heater
Show example YAML
AutomationAutomations in Home Assistant allow you to automatically respond to things that happen in and around your home. [Learn more]
alias: "Boost hot water in the morning"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "06:00:00"
actions:
  - action: matter.water_heater_boost
    target:
      entity_id: water_heater.hot_water
    data:
      duration: 3600

Good to know

  • Boost mode runs for the duration you set and then stops on its own. You do not need to turn it off manually.

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.