Planning for Motorized Blinds: The Benefits of Hard-Wired Automated Shades
When building a new house or remodeling your existing one, don’t forget to plan for hardwired motorized blinds and automated shades too!
When building a home, people are always looking for the latest and greatest features to better suit their current lifestyles and plan for the future. An often overlooked new home build design item are . We find that while many people consider & , they often don’t think about the most convenient window coverings, . Teaming up with Hunter Douglas, we’ve listed our top reasons for planning for and motorized blinds in your new home by hard- with low-voltage wire at all the appropriate window openings.
Why Hardwired Motorized Shades?
No More Batteries!
There are numerous long-term benefits to hardwiring for the use of adding a powered window shade. The first being, no more batteries! An average battery wand in a powered shade has 12 AA batteries. More oversized windows may have two battery wands, which equals 24 batteries on one shade! Having powered shades wired directly to your home through low voltage wiring at every window opening within the trim allows you to use your battery-powered shades without the worry of changing out the batteries [which can add up to many batteries in the entire home!]. On average, the batteries in smart shades will last a few years, depending on how often the shades are used. With battery-powered blinds, the only batteries you’ll have to worry about are for your remote – much more manageable!
Safety
Battery-powered shades eliminate the need to handle your blinds which means no more cords tangling or breaking. Not only is this safer for children and pets, but it also provides a cleaner look.
The safety benefits extend to the outside your home as well. With the addition of remote control, a phone app called the PowerView app keeps all of your windows organized by room. From there, you can set up automation which tells each blind to open or close at a specific time. While you’re on vacation, your scheduled automation can continue, providing the illusion that someone is home operating the window shades.
And, by registering your account with Hunter Douglas, you can control your shades remotely as well! Say you left for vacation or work and forgot to close the shades. By registering your account, closing or opening a motorized shade is as easy as opening the app and selecting the shade to control. Talk about convenience!
Energy Efficiency
Most of us know about the damaging effects of beautiful sunshine on our furnishings. Powered shades protect the surfaces in your home from getting sun-bleached, and within the Powerview app, there is even an option to have your shades move with the sunrise or sunset. Placing the shades in the correct positions increases your home’s energy efficiency, reducing solar heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. Finally, Hunter Douglas has different styles and fabrics of energy-efficient shades themselves to ensure your interior surfaces are protected.
Where should I plan for Hard-wired Motorized Blinds & Shades?
Locations for Hard-Wired Window Shades & Blinds
The best locations to hardwire for powered shades are anywhere! Any window is excellent for this application due to the benefits listed above. However, a common choice is any unreachable windows, such as in a 2-story space. These spaces can be living rooms, bedrooms, but most often stairways.
What Can I Expect from my Hard-wired Shades?
Convenience & Assurance
Hardwired powered shades not only pair nicely with new finishes in your home but also assure that your home will be protected and perform the way you intend them to. Remember what you don’t need with hardwired shades? – BATTERIES! This means reliable performance 100% of the time and no costly battery replacements throughout the life of your shades.
Smart Home Systems
The Hunter Douglas PowerView app for powered shades can connect to your other smart home systems such as Control 4, Nest, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Home Kit. The PowerView app is available on both Apple and Android mobile devices as well.
Minneapolis & St. Paul Motorized Blinds, Automated Shades, and Interior Design Resource
If you’re in the market for a new home or to remodel your existing home, consider hardwired automated shades or hardwired blinds! You will love the convenience and fun that a motorized window treatment brings to your home while still reflecting your style. Be sure to check out a past blog of ours,’ How to Choose the Right Window Treatments for Any Room in Your Home, ‘and of course, reach out to our fantastic design team at Che Bella Interiors! Contact us today to visit our showroom! With a full line of displays, we can walk you through what it would look like to have beautiful and functional powered shades in your home. Make sure to visit our ever-growing portfolio for more inspiration!
Written by Stefanie from the Che Bella Team
