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The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/Kindly_Club8835 on 2026-07-12 10:51:57+00:00.
Finally got around to flashing an ESP8266 wired into my old window unit's IR receiver and it actually works. Full control in HA, temperature sensor reporting back, automations based on presence and time of day. Took a weekend of frustration but it clicked.
Now I'm sitting here looking at every dumb appliance in my apartment differently. The box fan. The space heater. The rice cooker I definitely do not need automating but am absolutely considering.
What surprised me was how well ESPHome handles the IR codes. I half expected to spend days reverse engineering the remote, but the climate component had most of it already. The harder part was mounting everything neatly so it doesn't look like a science experiment bolted to the wall.
The presence detection angle is what really got me. Having the AC turn off when nobody's home and precool before someone arrives sounds simple, but it actually saves a noticeable amount on the electric bill. Been running it for about three weeks now.
Curious if anyone has gone further with window units specifically, like integrating current monitoring to track actual power draw alongside the thermostat. I threw a basic smart plug on it but the reporting feels coarse. Wondering if there's a cleaner way to handle that without adding another device into the mix.