Motorised Window Blinds are increasing in popularity, becoming more and more common as homeowners embrace smart-home technology that makes their everyday lives easier.
Are Motorised Window Blinds New?
Motorised Window Blinds actually go as far back as the 1960’s! Somfy brought out their first motor in France in 1969. These early models were a huge breakthrough but not quite as advanced as they have since become!
Early Motorised Blinds were not as advanced as they have become today. The motors were larger, louder, and didn’t have as many control options. Now not only are they smaller and quitter, but they have the ability to select one or more blinds for control at once. The Somfy TaHoma even allows for smartphone control and smart-home integration, connecting to devices such as a Nest.
Motorised Window Blinds Powered by Somfy
Somfy have been pioneers of Motorised Window Blinds technology. Starting way back in 1969 they developed some of the earliest motors for Blinds and have since come a long way, leading the creation of new technology that makes Motorised Window Blinds more convenient.
As Somfy Certified Experts Village Blinds and Shutters offer the latest Somfy innovations for use with our bespoke, made-to-measure Blinds. We offer advice on everything from simple automation to smartphone control with a TaHoma, or even building a full home network connected to smart-home devices.
Power Options for Motorised Window Blinds
There are a few different options when it comes to powering Motorised Window Blinds. The decision as to which will be used will depend on what can be installed into your home and what suits your individual needs best.
Mains
If the connection is available your Blinds can be feed directly into your mains power. This means that so long as your home has electricity they will work. This can be convenient as it will require no charging, but is not available in all homes.
If this is something you are interested in when building a home, we would recommend contacting us during the planning stage to advise on what connections would be required based on what you are interested in having installed.
Any Somfy motor labelled for the Act For Green has a consumption of less than 0.5 Watts, meaning you do not need to be concerned about putting too much stress on your mains.
Rechargeable Battery
If a mains connection isn’t available the battery within the Somfy motor can simply be recharged by plugging in a cable. A full charge takes around 8 hours but this can provide many months of charge based on standard use.
It is important that the battery can reach a socket. To help this we not only provide a charging cable but can also provide an extension for use recharging when it may struggle to reach a socket.
Solar
The final option for charging a Motorised Window Blind is including a small solar panel that will recharge the battery. This is a discreet panel that is installed to the blind, facing out of the window.
Because the energy needs for the Blinds are relatively low this works very well as even when there is only a limited amount of sun the days with more sunlight provide a significant amount of charge.
Styles of Motorised Window Blinds
Not only are there many ways to charge Motorised Window Blinds, but we also have a wide range of styles to choose from.
Motorised Roller Blinds
The classic style of Motorised Blind is the Roller Blind. By having a fabric roll up and down this is a straightforward Blind to motorised and an ideal style for a home wishing to have a significant number of blinds as they will be the easiest to operate in a large group.
Motorised Venetian Blinds
Venetian Blinds are popular due to their flexibility, offering the operation of raising and lowering the Blind, as well as tilting to open or close the slats. The full operation can be motorised, giving you full control over the Blind.
Motorised Wooden Venetian Blinds
A Wooden Venetian Blind operates the same as the standard Aluminium Venetian but uses wood. This is a stylistic preference with the only key difference being that the slats will be thicker and heavier being made of wood rather than the much lighter aluminium.
Motorised Cellular Blinds
Another very popular choice for motorisation, the Cellular Blind uses hexagonal pleats to create a fabric that can compress right up into the headrail. This makes it very popular as it can usually almost entirely disappear. Much like the Roller Blind, its motorisation is simple with the motor allowing the raising or lowering of the blind.
Motorised Roman Blinds
A Roman Blind is a very traditional style of fabric blind featuring a cascade fold to create their famous look when open. Whilst it raises and lowers much like a Roller Blind, the function is a bit more complex, taking the skill of our experienced team to ensure the fold gives the desired look whilst also providing adequate shade when closed.
Motorised Aura Blinds
An Aura Blind is a Roller Blind using a double roller system and alternating solid and translucent horizontal bands to provide more options for light control. The operation when motorised is much like the Roller Blind, but takes careful set-up to ensure the bands will line up correctly at the different stages that you may desire.
Motorised Window Blinds
With a variety of choices to power your Motorised Window Blinds, they can be made to suit a wide range of needs. The various styles of Blind allow for near-unlimited creativity from a host of colours or fabrics which can be motorised for your convenience.
We recommend speaking to our team of Certified Somfy Experts as soon as possible for advice on Motorised Window Blinds in a home project so that we can best plan for your convenient new Blinds.
Are Motorised Blinds a good idea?
Absolutely! Motorised Blinds provide great convenience for your home, removing the need to manually operate your blinds. They can also be upgraded to use smart-home features with the Somfy TaHoma, giving you even greater control over when your blinds are open or closed.
How much does it cost to install Motorised Blinds?
The only added cost is for the motor and charger on each Blind. As our installations come complimentary with any order there is no added cost to install.
Do Motorised Blinds use a lot of electricity?
No. Motorised Blinds use very minimal amounts. This is because they do not require much to operate and are only used at most a few times a day.
Do Motorised Blinds take long to charge?
The batteries take around 8 hours to reach a full charge. This charge can last for many months, assuming a standard amount of use.
What is the life expectancy of Motorised Blinds?
All of our Blinds come with a Five Year Guarantee because we are confident in the quality used in manufacturing. We would generally see Motorised Blinds lasting longer than manual as the motorisation removes the risk of user error which is the primary cause of damage to a Blind.
Are Motorised Blinds noisy?
Motorised Blinds have become significantly quieter in recent years. The motors have become smaller, more powerful, but also near-silent with many customers now claiming they don’t hear them operate at all.
