Custom Holiday and Away Modes with OSO Hot Water IoT

S.C.O.R.E. → Convenience → DeviceControl

Overview

OSO Energy’s integration of holiday mode and custom away mode functionality allows homeowners to optimize their hot water systems during extended absences. This capability not only conserves energy but also provides peace of mind, ensuring that water heating is managed efficiently while away.

Benefits

• Reduced energy consumption while the home is unoccupied
• Convenient hot water management tailored to specific schedules
• Enhanced security and peace of mind by automating systems

Intent

The purpose of this capability is to provide homeowners with a customizable approach to managing their hot water systems during vacations or extended absences. This leads to energy savings and efficient operation while ensuring that the system is ready upon return.

Preconditions

• OSO Hot Water IoT device installed and configured.
• Homeowner has set specific holiday or away schedules.
• Home Assistant platform is operational.
• Home Assistant installed and configured.
• Integration available and authenticated: Zigbee2MQTT.
• Device installed and reachable: RainMachine Version 2 (API 4.6.1).

Actors

• Homeowner setting the vacation schedule
• Family members checking system status remotely
• Guests using hot water while the homeowner is away

Trigger

The capability is triggered by the homeowner setting the holiday mode or custom away mode through the Home Assistant interface.

Workflow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Homeowner sets holiday mode] -->|check current status| B{{Is home occupied?}}
    B -->|No| C[Activate away mode]
    C --> D[Reduce heating schedule]
    B -->|Yes| E[Maintain normal operations]

Workflow Description

1. Set Holiday Mode

Homeowner accesses the Home Assistant app and selects the holiday mode option.

2. Confirm Away Dates

Homeowner inputs the start and end dates for the holiday period.

3. System Checks

The system checks for any active usage of hot water to ensure the mode can be safely activated.

4. Activate Away Mode

Once confirmed, the system shifts to the away mode, reducing water heating frequency.

5. Return to Normal

Upon returning, the homeowner deactivates the holiday mode, resuming normal operations.

Postconditions

After the holiday or away mode is activated, the hot water system operates on a reduced schedule, conserving energy until the homeowner returns.

Optional Enhancements

• Integrate with smart home security systems for added monitoring
• Enable push notifications or alerts when the system status changes
• Allow remote temperature adjustments during away mode

Recommended Components

Source Examples

• 2026.1: Home is where the dashboard is ?? – Home Assistant (homeassistant)