Motorized Window Shades - Issues To Take Into Account When Purchasing

1. Power. The place will the motorized window shades get power to operate? This may occasionally contain hiding a wire behind existing furnishings and plugging into an present outlet or tapping a neighborhood outlet so that power is available at the motor location. Relying upon the dimensions of the window to be covered and the size of the shade required this will likely contain excessive or low voltage power.

- a. Excessive Voltage. 120V motors. Used if shades are better than 9 feet extensive or if 2 or extra giant shades are to be powered by the same motor. (Called a 2-on-1 software, defined beneath). Wiring may be topic to building code regulations.

- b. Low Voltage. 24V motors. Utilized in shades less than 9 toes (roughly) or smaller 2 on 1 applications. Wiring for energy is easier and not topic to building code regulations as it is low voltage and therefore considered safer for installation. Low voltage motors require a transformer to rework power from excessive voltage to low voltage.

2. Use of room. If a room is bathed in light and used steadily, the shades will have to be raised and lowered often which augurs for a convenient answer like motorization. Bedrooms and media rooms have particular, frequent lighting and/or privateness needs and motorized window shades are sometimes called for.

3. Location of sun relative to the room. Relying upon their exposure, some rooms have massive windows that do not receive a lot direct solarlight are usually not used for sleeping, privacy is just not a priority and therefore shades might hardly ever be raised or lowered. Motorized window shades will not be needed in these locations.

4. Baby safety. Every year, a stunning number of injuries and deaths outcome from management cords for manual window shades. Since cords are obviated with automated control, this is usually a very robust rationale for motorized window shades in youngsters's rooms. Additionally, frequent use and naps throughout the day as well as timers for scheduled wake ups (or non wake ups!) are factors.

5. Control. Given the arrival of reliable Radio Frequency (RF) applied sciences, control for shades is flexible. Remotes or Wall Switches can be utilized both of which have the flexibility to be wireless. Usually, management in each room ought to be independent. Beyond that, controls may be programmed to allow for all of the shades in the house to boost or decrease from one button press or any variation of rooms or floors or zones that you want to management as a group. Management that's built-in with residence automation or lighting control systems are additionally standard - this will be the subject of a subsequent article. Basically, which means the shades are managed by the distant or touch panel of the general residence or lighting management system moderately than (or in addition to) the stand alone shade control.

6. Value and performance. There are easy methods to decrease prices of motorized shades without compromising system efficiency which must be considered. The hot button is configuration.

- a. A number of shades driven by a single motor. Shade motors are very powerful and can simply lift multiple shades. A wall of home windows is a perfect application for this configuration. Granted, particular person management of each shade just isn't doable, because the motor drives all shades up or down at the identical time. Nevertheless, within the vast majority of cases, it's not necessary or desirable to operate the shades individually along this line of shades.

- b. Keep away from extra giant shades, even if the measurements are inside specified tolerances. As shades get larger (better than 9 ft huge) the price will increase geometrically versus arithmetically. Greatest concept is to split shades in giant openings on a mullion and use a 2-on-1 configuration (see above).

7. Warranties. Most motors come with a 5 year warranty and electronic parts come with a 1 12 months warranty from the manufacturer.