In our 25 years of installing automated and motorised blinds, we have frequently been asked the same question: why would I need motorised blinds? After all, most people get on ok with manual blinds and curtains and have never thought about the alternative. Motorised blinds are on the rise (pardon the pun), along with all the other smart tech that is emerging which is a pretty good indicator of how cool this gadget is! All the team here at Clearly Automated have them in our houses and love them. Like our clients, we have never looked back.
The tech has really come on since the early days of home automation. Motorised blinds can now be fitted easily with rechargeable solar-powered battery packs and can be activated by wall panels, remote controls, voice activation, phone or tablet. The brands we use (Lutron and Somfy) are robust, lasting many years and operate beautifully smoothly and silently. See for yourself in the video below.
So, if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about then read on, I’ve picked out some of the main advantages as I see it and I promise you this – there are some new features that will surprise you.
Hard to reach windows
An absolute life saver here! How many of you have no choice but to clamber over a sofa or step into a bath, risking life and limb, to close your blinds on a daily basis? Even worse, do you have to get out a step ladder or struggle with a long pole with a hook? In some cases, a Velux-style window is left un-dressed when it’s just too awkward to reach.
If you get motorised blinds installed it will be a wonderful relief every morning and evening when the struggle is no more! It’s the little things that make the difference.
I had this problem myself with a window blind that was behind a sofa in my house. Every morning and evening I found myself having to remove my shoes and, in full view of the neighbours, climb the sofa (often stumbling and looking ridiculous) to open the blind. The same in the evening. The kids found it hilarious, I didn’t. Now I have a motorised blind there and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction not to have to go through my undignified performance any longer.
Convenience
With all this new technology there are many options for when and how to activate motorised blinds. You can pre-program the blinds to open and close at certain times of the day to suit your lifestyle: wake up time, sleep time, dawn, dusk etc. There are even light activated blinds that will drop at dusk and rise at dawn automatically. When you’re away this also adds a new level of security. (Add lighting control and suddenly they won’t have a clue you’re not at home – but that’s for another time and another blog!)
If you just want to collapse at the end of a hard day and snuggle up in front of the TV and shut the world out (yes, I’m talking from experience!) just call out ‘Alexa, tv time!’ and the blinds will all drop in majestic unison without you lifting a finger – bliss.
Friends for dinner? You spend a fortune on lighting and furnishing but don’t forget that having the blinds down will allow the lighting to work its magic and set the ambience – you’re busy enough in your preparations, making those beautiful hors d’ oeuvres, if the blinds come down automatically or at your command its just one less thing to think about.
Energy saving
We’ve all seen the terrifying news lately and listened to Sir David – we all need to be working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and become more eco-conscious. What’s more, most of us are also interested in reducing our bills. Motorised blinds can help.
Take a look at this picture. It’s probably not the first time you’ve seen something like this. This shows how the majority of energy leaves our home in the form of heat via the windows and doors. This is greatly reduced when your blinds are down, especially if they are properly fitted and thermal. If all the blinds are kept shut whenever you are out and every night when you are asleep this will make a big difference to your energy loss. This can be automated by pre-programming your wake up and night time routines. There is also a very cool bit of tech called ‘Geofencing’ where the system can tell when you are home or away (by tracking your mobile phone) and opening/closing the blinds based on your location.
Pair this with solar powered blinds and you would definitely be getting the nod of approval from Sir David.
Wow factor
More fickle than the vital considerations of energy conservation obviously, but still, we’re only human, aren’t we? Who doesn’t get a certain amount of pleasure from impressing friends and family? And not just others, the pleasure we get from home gadgets is not to be poo-pooed. There’s nothing wrong with a little thrill and these blinds will give you that. Particularly when they are paired with lighting control (something we also specialise in #justsaying). The number of times we have heard our clients say ‘Wow!’ when we reveal their newly installed motorised blinds – everyone just stares in awe and it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Only the other day we popped back to see how a former client was getting on with their motorised blinds, which had been installed a good 6 years previously. They had been at two minds about the blinds to start off with but when we saw them, they said, “We never tire of watching our blinds silently and smoothly glide to the exact closed position. We’re glad we decided to have them now. Money well spent.” You can see the blind that we installed in this client’s kitchen below.
Like I said earlier, it’s the small things that make all the difference.
We’re a friendly bunch so if you want to speak to an expert about motorised blinds then the lovely Lynn will be happy to help, what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. You can reach Lynn on 0113 898 0078. You can have a chat, set up a meeting or even visit one of our showrooms for a demonstration!
