One of the best ways to incorporate “smart” technology in your home? Smart window treatments!
In this month’s post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about smart window coverings, including how they work and what to look for before you purchase.
Modern Precious Metals® w/ MagnaView® tilt feature
What Are Smart Window Coverings?
Smart window coverings are simply blinds, curtains, or shades that are controlled through either a remote control or with a mobile app. Through the remote or app, you can set up a schedule of different settings or adjust your window treatments from the comfort of your sofa. With the app or remote you can:
- Simply open or close the coverings
- Schedule different settings for different times of the day
- In some models, automatically adjust the settings based on ambient sunlight
While this may sound like something out of a futuristic movie, this is the reality of today!
Design Studio™ Roman Shades with coordinating drapery
What Are The Advantages of Smart Window Coverings?
Ease of Use
The largest advantage to smart window coverings is how much easier they make your day-to-day life. When using a remote or app to adjust your window coverings, adjusting the light in your room is now as easy as switching a light on and off.
Not only will the ability to adjust your window coverings be easier, it will also reduce the wear and tear on your treatments. With your smart coverings in control, snags and manual errors are less frequent, allowing your window coverings to last even longer.
More Natural Light
A smart window covering solution makes it easy to adjust your room’s natural light. This will make natural light a more integral part of your home.
Studies have shown that natural light boosts your health, and smart curtains will only increase the amount you rely on natural light in your home.
Window Coverings in Hard To Reach Places
Smart curtains are perfect for windows in those hard to reach places.
Once you install smart window coverings, you’ll be able to cover the windows whenever you like. This lets you fully utilize a beautiful skylight and the natural light it provides while still retaining the ability to close it. Without smart blinds, covering these windows simply isn’t a realistic option.
A Safer Home
A key way burglars detect a vacationing family that has left an empty house is by window coverings remaining in the same place throughout the day and night for an extended period of time.
Smart window coverings allow you to set your coverings on a schedule, so even if you are gone they’ll still go up and down. This will make it less likely that a prowler will break into your home.
You’ll also be able to adjust treatments remotely from your phone. This means if you left them open before leaving the house you can close them from anywhere in the world with the press of a button!
Lower Energy Bills
Did you know proper window covering management can save you money on your electric and heatings bills? Window coverings are an extra layer of insulation to keep those outside temps (and sunlight) out of your home.
With smart window coverings you don’t need to worry about remembering to open and close your coverings on a steady schedule. Since it will now just be a part of your home’s functionality, you can fine tune the schedule to ensure your energy bills are not getting out of hand.
Provenance® Top-Down/Bottom-Up Woven Wood Shades w/ UltraGlide®
What Should I Consider When Choosing Smart Window Coverings?
Looks
An essential point to consider when buying your smart window coverings: make sure they look good in your home!
While the functionality is crucial when it comes to smart window coverings, ensuring that they compliment your home design is equally important. Talk to an experienced window coverings installer and designer to achieve the look that you’ll be happy with that’ll also increase the value of your home.
Integration
You’re investing a lot into your home; you better make sure everything works!
Confirm any smart window treatment solution you choose can be integrated with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or your home automation system of choice. This will allow your new treatments to fit seamlessly with your modern and tech-enabled home.
Hunter Douglas utilizes a PowerView system that can be operated through the PowerView App or Pebble Control, which is a remote control for your coverings.
With the PowerView system, you can…
- Create pre-set lighting scenes that can be adjusted based on an automated schedule or with the swipe of a finger.
- Operate your shades even when your away from your home with the app.
- Link multiple window treatment systems together with the PowerView hub.
- Choose the color of your remote to match your room, ensuring the aesthetics of your home is not disrupted.
Quality
Check that both your window treatment material, and smart system, will last you years!
While beautiful shades are important, having them attached to a low quality smart system will render them useless. Similarly, a great smart shade system attached to ugly shades does nothing to enhance your space.
Remember that any window treatment solution you choose should include a warranty, remain durable, enhance your home, and actually work!
Design Studio™ Roman Shades
Can I Install Smart Window Treatments Myself?
Smart window treatments should always be installed by properly licensed and certified technicians. Window treatments are difficult to install and require precision and expertise to ensure they look and operate the way they’re supposed to. When connecting them to your home’s wireless network and ensuring that everything is actually working correctly, proper installation becomes even more important.
A professional and expert installer will ensure…
- Proper installation to ensure the window treatments are functioning properly
- The installation is done in a way that will not void the warranty
- Help set up any needed integrations with your home
the window coverings are manufactured correctly and are built to your exact specifications - Any questions you have about your window coverings are answered
Are You Ready to Bring Your Home to the Future?
Portland Window Coverings can help you find the right smart window coverings for your windows! We take a design-focused approach to window treatments, and will make sure your home is both on the cutting edge of technology and looks great.
Give us a call at (503) 783-1838, contact us online, or visit one of our stores to set up your complimentary at home consultation and quote.