Motorized window coverings, such as motorized window shades and blinds, can help make your home more functional. With a motorized setup, you can easily open and close your window coverings without a lot of physical effort. With a motorized setup, you will also not have any dangerous cords hanging down from your window coverings.
When it comes to installing motorized window coverings in your home, it is important to know what type of motor you want your window coverings to have. There are four primary types of motors used for motorized shades.
#1: DC Power Motor
A DC power adapter motor for your window treatments only works if you have an outlet that is located right next to your window or if you are willing to install an outlet right next to each window that you want to use motorized shades with.
You can even have a custom outlet added higher up on the wall so that you don't have cords hanging out near the ground next to your window. The biggest downside to a DC-powered motor is that you still have a cord running from the blinds to the outlets, so you don't really get the advantage of being cord-free with this setup.
#2: Hardwired
With hardwired window coverings, you have to have electrical outlets or wires near your windows. Then, you will have to have an electrician come to your home and directly connect the wires for your window coverings to your electrical wires in order to power your motorized shades and blinds.
Hardwiring is cost-effective from an energy standpoint once you have everything set up; however, this option will require you to hire an electrician, increasing the installation costs.
#3: Battery Powered
One of the most flexible ways to power your motorized shades and blinds is with a battery-powered setup. With most motorized window treatments, there is a tube attached to the top of the window treatment where the battery pack as well as the motor to power the blinds is located.
You don't have to plug anything into an outlet or hire an electrician to hardwire your blinds into your electrical system. The only downside is you will need to replace the batteries from time to time.
#4: Solar Powered
Finally, you have solar-powered motorized blinds. At the top of the blinds, you will have a small little solar panel that will absorb sunlight and store that energy so that when you want to operate your blinds, you will have the energy to do so. Solar-powered blinds are an eco-friendly way to enjoy motorized window treatments in your home.
When it comes to installing motorized shades and blinds in your home, you need to decide how you want the motorized portion to be powered. You can plug the motor into an outlet, hardwire the motor to your electrical system, use a battery-powered system, or use a solar-powered setup. It depends on how you want your motorized shades to look and what type of energy source you prefer using.