A skew Calabi-Yau algebra is a generalization of a Calabi-Yau algebra which allows for a non-trivial Nakayama automorphism. We prove three homological identities about the Nakayama automorphism and give several applications. The identities we prove show (i) how the Nakayama automorphism of a smash product algebra A#. H is related to the Nakayama automorphisms of a graded skew Calabi-Yau algebra A and a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra H that acts on it; (ii) how the Nakayama automorphism of a graded twist of A is related to the Nakayama automorphism of A; and (iii) that the Nakayama automorphism of a skew Calabi-Yau algebra A has trivial homological determinant in case A is noetherian, connected graded, and Koszul. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.