When summer rolls around, it's time to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. With Homey, you can create the perfect summer home by integrating your smart devices and automating their behavior. The possibilities are limited solely by your imagination and creativity. Here are some ideas for using Homey in the summer.
Control the summer heat
Controlling the summer heat with Homey is a breeze with its large array of smart home apps. For example, you can create a Flow that controls your Dyson or Xiaomi fan, setting the speed and oscillation angle to keep you nice and cool. You can pair a temperature sensor that triggers the fan based on the current reading for a completely hands-free approach!
For example, If you have an air conditioner from LG, Daikin, or Mitsubishi, you can create an Advanced Flow that cools your space only when you are home, based on your phone's location. To take it one step further, you can add a contact sensor in the mix and let Homey notify you if you leave the door open while the AC is running. Or, you could set the Flow to automatically turn off the AC if the door is open for a while or there's no one home, allowing you to save energy and extend the life of your device. With Homey, your AC does not need to work overtime if there's no need to!
Fans and ACs are not the only way to cool your space. With Homey, you can control a plethora of smart shades and curtain controllers like Somfy, Soma, or Sunway and block out the sun’s heat in the first place. You can create a Flow that keeps the shades closed when no one is home, only lifting them up when you arrive home.
Alternatively, you can pair an illuminance sensor and create a Flow that keeps your shade open whenever the reading is below a set threshold. Or simply use the time of day as a trigger: day – closed, night – open!
Automate your garden
While summer does bring the notion of relaxation, vacation and holidays, it does introduce additional chores in your home that need to be taken care of in your home. Grass starts to grow more, bushes start to form, and garden flowers need tending. With Homey, maintaining your garden is easy, relaxing, and enjoyable - especially when you don’t have to do it manually.
Sit back and enjoy a cold one while you let Gardena’s Sileno robotic lawnmower trim your grass and cut those wild bushes. Or, use Rachio’s irrigation system to water your plants and flowers automatically, on a timer, and for as long as they need. If you use both, create a Flow that won't turn on your sprinklers while your lawnmower is doing its thing.
You don’t want to water the plants when it’s going to be a rainy day? Not a problem, just create a Homey Flow conditioned by the weather forecast. Or take it up a notch by measuring the soil moisture with a Xiaomi MiFlora or sensor, to ensure you are saving water and energy. You can even install a local weather station like Ecowitt and optimize your Flows even more!
With Homey, you can be on a beach somewhere and have piece of mind that your garden or yard is taken care of. You can come home to a clean and tidied-up lawn and perked-up and colorful flowers!
Prep your pool for a swim
If you have a pool in your backyard, monitoring its water conditions has never been easier. By installing a pool sensor such as Flipr or ICO, you can monitor the temperature, pH value, and chlorine levels of your pool water.
Create a Flow that will notify you when the water temperature is below your desired level, prompting you to react and keep it in check. Or automate the process entirely and trigger the pool heater with a simple smart switch.
With Homey, your pool will always be ready for those early morning or late evening swims, making your summer enjoyable and relaxing.
Enhance your summer parties
With Homey, you can take your summer night parties outside and create an ambiance that enchants all your guests. Install a set of string lights from Twinkly, Philips Hue, or Nanoleaf and bring some color to the beat. You can set your lights to follow your music rhythm and dance along to your favorite tunes!
With Homey Moods, you can create custom lighting presets that illuminate your party space in different colors. You can trigger your Moods with a smart remote and turn it all red when your friend loses the drinking game or go all green to celebrate the winner!
Integrating your smart Miele or Siemens fridge ensures your drinks are always perfectly chilled and ready for guests. Schedule the fridge to start cooling a few hours before the party begins and add a contact sensor that alerts you when someone leaves the fridge door open. You can create a Flow in Homey that plays a custom sound on your speaker system, reminding the offender to close the door!
Once your party is underway, set the tone by playing your curated playlists with Spotify to your smart speakers like Sonos or Bose. Use Homey to control the music on the go, allowing you to mingle and socialize with your party guests.
If you have a smart lock, you can create one-time passcodes for your guests and allow them to unlock your door by themselves. To impress guests even further, create a Flow in Homey that will light up the hallway to the party and announce their names on your smart speaker as they come in: “Hey Jane, welcome to Summer Bash 2024!”. Talk about a flex!
Romantic dinners for your significant other
With Homey, you can surprise your significant other by hosting a romantic dinner in your garden, unburdening them from the long and sunny summer day. If you are cooking barbecue, you can relax with a glass of wine while your Meater keeps the meat in check. There's no need to stand around the grill, Homey can keep it in check. Create a Flow that will notify you when the BBQ is done.
Once they come home, you can trigger a Mood that sets your LED strips to soft, warm hues that evoke intimacy and serenity. Play some smooth jazz on your sound system while you’re at it and have Homey keep the distractions to a minimum.
If your partner appreciates a calm movie night instead, Homey has got you covered. Create a Flow that will lower your projector screen, start the projector, dim the garden lights, and play a movie soundtrack through your smart speakers. If you need a quick break, set The Button from Fibaro next to you and slam it to pause the movie and brighten up the lights so you can go to the bathroom. No more fiddling with 4 different remotes, all you need is Homey.
Secure your home while you travel
When the time comes and you are ready to stretch your legs on a beach somewhere, you can let Homey handle all your home security while you are away. Add a smart lock like Nuki or Tedee and rest assured that your home will be protected. If you need to open the door for your aunt to check on your cat, it’s just a button away on your smartphone. You can even create passkeys that expire after a certain amount of time, ensuring no one will be able to use them afterward.
If you receive unannounced visits or guests, pair a smart doorbell like Nest or Ubiquity and create a Flow that notifies you when someone is at the door. If it’s a delivery person, you can open the door remotely so they can leave the package safely inside and lock it after leaving.
With Homey, you will never have to worry about the security of your home while you are away.
Save energy with solar panels
As temperatures rise during summer, so does the sun’s solar output. With Homey, you can harness this free energy to automate charging your electric vehicle or powering high-energy devices. With a simple Flow, you can trigger your EV charger to activate when your solar panels are generating peak energy. Brands like Growatt, SoFar, Huawei, and SolarEdge integrate seamlessly with Homey, allowing you to monitor the status of your inverter and solar panels.
Homey Energy visualizes the production of your panels and provides detailed information on the energy consumption of all your home appliances. This ensures you always know the optimal time to turn on high-energy devices like tumble dryers or water boilers.
