Motorized shades: battery or hardwired, what they cost, and what they work with

Battery motors: what we install most

A rechargeable battery motor lives inside the shade tube, so the shade looks exactly like a manual one with no cord. You charge it with a small cable a couple of times a year; most customers do it when they change the smoke-detector batteries. Installation is the same as a manual shade, which is why battery motorization fits existing homes so well.

Hardwired motors: when they are worth it

If the walls are open (new construction or a renovation) or the shade is very large, a hardwired low-voltage or 120 V motor removes charging entirely. Exterior retractable screens are almost always hardwired because of their size. Hardwired adds the cost of an electrician and planning before drywall.

Controls: remote, app, voice, schedule

Every motorized shade comes with a handheld remote; we can group shades by room or by the whole house. Add a small hub and the shades appear in a phone app, run on a sunrise/sunset schedule, and respond to Alexa, Google or Apple Home. We regularly integrate with Lutron, Control4 and Crestron systems installed by local AV companies.

Which windows to motorize

Motorize the shades you touch every day and the ones you cannot reach: bedroom shades, the main living room sliders, two-story foyer and stairwell glass, and anything behind furniture or over a tub. Hall bathrooms and guest rooms are usually fine manual. Mixing manual and motorized in the same fabric keeps the budget sensible.

Seasonal homes

For owners who are away part of the year, app-controlled shades mean you can lower everything before a storm or raise them before guests arrive from anywhere. A simple schedule also makes an empty house look lived in.