Ability to turn off AC if door open for more than 60 seconds

I also posted in security as I have an option of using a security device but wondering if anyone has also done this using something else.,.

I have a wall AC unit plugged into an electrical outlet and want to be able to detect when the door is open for more than 60 seconds and shut off the AC-Heat. When the door is closed I want the AC to turn back on.

Look into the Vera app Reactor

Or PLEG, for the purist’s you could code it but it’s much easier to use iether Reactor or PLEG, plenty of examples abound in the PLEG sub-forum. At the end of the day use what you are comfortable with.

Just be sure to have a condition that the wall unit was on at the time the door opened. Otherwise, your unit will turn back on every time a door was left open for >60s.

Since it’s such a common use case, I made a YouTube video about how to do it using Reactor.

If it turns back on that is ok since it is thermostat based. I am also looking at location based tracking too since I am the only one who uses the office. Have it turn off if I am not present.

It is a small office in my yard and my kids tend to leave the door open so this helps eliminate all the other gotchas.

Thank you Rigpapa for this! I cannot control my thermostat so just powering off the outlet and powering it back on is fine for me until I get a new AC unit.

I have also had whispered in my ear that Ecobee will be coming out with a similar solution in the next month or so. It is not so hot that I need this right away. I am on the fence about jumping into a home automation solution so I really was just looking for my AC unit.

As I keep looking at alternative solutions it seems that Vera is the most user friendly system that allows for creating complex automation without have to know coding.

1 Like