Average (arithmetic mean): average

The average template function calculates the arithmetic mean of a collection of values. Give it a list of numbers and it returns their average. This is the same as adding all the values together and dividing by how many there are, but without having to do that math yourself.

This is useful whenever you have multiple sensorsSensors return information about a thing, for instance the level of water in a tank. [Learn more] measuring the same thing and want a single combined value. For example, you might have temperature sensors in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, and want to know the average temperature across your home. Or you might want to average humidity readings from several rooms to decide whether to turn on a dehumidifier. You can also use it to smooth out fluctuating sensor readings or calculate average energy usage over a set of devicesA device is a model representing a physical or logical unit that contains entities..

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ average(21.5, 22.0, 19.8) }}

21.1

{{ [21.5, 22.0, 19.8] | average }}

21.1

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically.

Function parameters without a = are usually required. A few optional parameters have no default value, so the signature shows them without a = as well. To check whether a parameter is required, look at the parameter list below the signature. Each parameter is marked as Required or Optional.

The most common optional parameter without a default value is default. The default parameter sets the value a function returns when the function can’t produce a result, for example, when float gets text that isn’t a number. If you leave out default, there is no fallback value, so most functions raise an error and the template fails. The parameter list of each function says what happens. If you set default, the function returns your value instead.

round(
    value: Any,
    precision: int = 0,
    method: str = "common",
    default: Any,
) -> float | int | Any

average(
    *args: list | float,
    default: Any,
) -> float

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Using a default value

If the list might be empty or contain invalid values, provide a default to avoid errors. This prevents your templateA template is an automation definition that can include variables for the action or data from the trigger values. This allows automations to generate dynamic actions. [Learn more] from breaking when a sensor is temporarily unavailable.

{{
  [states("sensor.maybe_broken") | float(none)]
  | reject("none")
  | list
  | average(default=0)
}}

0

Good to know

• An empty list raises an error unless you supply a default.
• All items must be numeric. Convert state strings with float before averaging.
• This calculates the arithmetic mean. For the middle value, use median; for the most common value, use statistical_mode.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn 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].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Average of sensor values

Calculate the average temperature across multiple rooms by passing each sensor value as a separate argument.

{{
  average(
    states("sensor.living_room_temperature") | float,
    states("sensor.bedroom_temperature") | float,
    states("sensor.kitchen_temperature") | float
  )
}}

21.4

Average across a group of entities

If you have a groupGroups are a way to organize your entities into a single unit. [Learn more] of temperature sensors, you can expand the group and average all their values in one expression.

{{
  expand("sensor.indoor_temperatures")
  | map(attribute="state")
  | map("float")
  | average
}}

21.4

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Statistical median: median - Calculates the statistical median (middle value) of a list of values.

• Statistical mode: statistical_mode - Returns the most commonly occurring value in a list of values.

• Minimum value: min - Returns the smallest value from a list of values.

• Maximum value: max - Returns the largest value from a list of values.

• Expand groups into entities: expand - Expands groups and zones into a list of individual entity state objects.