Blind Automation: 5 Key Benefits of Automated Blinds

The home automation market is constantly growing - transforming our living spaces with the touch of a button. Or even voice control. Thanks to this constant innovation, it’s now easier than ever for homeowners to maintain a stylish, safe and convenient home.

Smart blinds and curtains are the perfect example. Not only can this tech improve the style of the home, it’s also cost-effective, practical and even has benefits for wellbeing.

Jump To

• What Are Automated Blinds?
• What Are the Benefits of Automated Blinds? 
  a. Blind Automation Provides Convenience & Wellbeing
  b. Smart Blinds Help With Temperature Control & Energy Saving
  c. Automated Blinds Improve Home Comfort & Style
  d. Smart Blinds Enable Mockupancy & Improve Security
  e. Smart Blinds Can Increase Safety
• Final Thoughts

If you’re ready to bring the smart tech trend into your home, battery operated blinds are a great place to start. These easy-to-install but effective devices have some exciting features to employ as you grow your smart home network.

In this blog, we look at the key benefits automated blinds and curtains can bring to your home, and why households across the UK are switching to a smarter system.

What Are Automated Blinds?

Automated or smart blinds and curtains are window features which can be controlled via the internet from anywhere in the world. They are also able to adjust themselves based on a day-night cycle, or outside light levels. 

Like normal window treatments, smart blinds' main job is to control the amount of natural light that enters your home. They make it easier to get that extra boost of sunlight - without twirling a wand or pulling a cord. Aside from the wellbeing perks, there are a wide variety of surprising benefits.

Motorised blinds and curtains can be raised and lowered by a wall switch, with remote controls or even by an assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Nest. While at first this may seem like a luxury answer to a first-world problem, the ease of use alone makes it a great addition to any modern home.

So What Are the Benefits of Automated Blinds?

Blind Automation Provides Convenience & Wellbeing 

Smart coverings can adjust as the sun moves throughout the day in order to boost natural light levels in your home. This is a great way to control the ambience and improve your mental wellbeing. At the same time, they can also close themselves when the sun is on your windows to reduce solar gain. This is great for areas with lots of glass that are prone to getting too hot in the summer.

Exposure to sunlight is well-known to aid the release of serotonin in your brain. This hormone is known for boosting moods. It makes you feel happier, calmer and more focused throughout the day. Added sunlight during the day improves your quality of sleep at night.

By adding battery powered blackout blinds, these systems can also stop light waking you too early in the height of summer. You can also set your blinds to open in line with the light outside. Imagine waking up to your room slowly and naturally filling with light over the course of 5 minutes, rather than a loud alarm clock. Automated blinds can give the most restful and natural morning wake up possible.

Aside from boosting wellbeing, automated shutters can make your day-to-day life easier. They can be controlled in a number of ways, including sleek remotes and stylish control panels. This saves you the hassle of using strings, wands or cords in hard-to-reach areas.

When integrated with a smart home hub like Control4, blinds can be controlled using smart home voice commands. This allows anyone in the house, including guests, to adjust them to their needs.

Electric blinds can also be included in your smart home's schedule. For instance, when you get back from work, you can simply say, “Alexa, I’m home”. This will draw the shutters and curtains, turn on your smart lights and tell your smart thermostat to set the home your desired temperature.

Smart Blinds Help With Temperature Control & Energy Saving

Smart blinds can be paired with smart lighting to boost the amount of daylight in your home and cut your energy use. You can set them to a schedule with a smart lighting system like Lutron Caseta. This setup will give you the perfect lighting balance in your home throughout the day. And you won't have to waste energy or even lift a finger.   

You can also control the temperature in your home more easily, with no need to keep adjusting the thermostat. Boosting the amount of sun coming in during the day is an eco-friendly alternative to using heating. Or, on hot days you can use your shutters to keep the sun out and protect your home from too much thermal gain.

The beauty of smart window coverings is they help to maintain the temperature within your home, This cuts the demand on your heating system. Over time your energy bills will decrease and your carbon footprint will be reduced. Plus, if you want to go for full autonomy, solar panels can lower your energy usage even further, especially when combined with a heat pump.

Automated Blinds Improve Home Comfort & Style 

Smart window coverings can be styled with both modern and vintage fittings and fabrics. With sleek appearances, and no cords or strings, this tech can complement any modern living room or period style. 

With a huge range on offer, smart window coverings can be installed to your exact requirements. From roman blinds to elaborate curtains, it doesn't matter whether you're covering tall, floor-to-ceiling windows, or small shutter windows. The endless design and style options out there make smart blinds a quick way to boost style and impress your guests.

On top of this, integration features are a great way to add that "wow" factor to your home. When used with other smart home devices, like lighting and home cinema systems, remote control blinds can build atmosphere. With a single button press, you can turn on your cinema, set the lights to dim, lower the shutters and switch on the surround sound. Seamless, convenient and impressive.

Smart Blinds Can Enable Mockupancy & Improve Security

Many people are concerned about their home being burgled while they're on holiday. A burglary takes place every 106 seconds in the UK, so any added layer of protection is important. Relying on a switched-on light or radio is never a good idea. A continuous light on in the house offers no variation. Most burglars will scope out a property well in advance of taking action and will know to look for this sign that the house is empty.

Smart window coverings can be controlled from anywhere in the world with just a phone or tablet and an internet connection. This helps you manage your property whilst away from home, to keep the illusion that the home is occupied.

Plus, if you don’t want the added burden of controlling your window coverings whilst away, they can be scheduled to open and close at certain times of the day. This can run on a schedule you make, or be based on your usual usage patterns. This makes for a strong and cheaper way to deter would-be burglars from your home. 

Smart Blinds Can Increase Safety

Smart blinds don't just increase security. They can also remove common risks of traditional window coverings and shades. 

As most parents will know, looped cords on blinds can pose a huge risk to young children and pets. There is a risk of them being trapped and being strangled by loose strings. In fact, a study found that 17,000 children were hurt by window treatments between 1990 and 2015. Most tragically of all, 300 of these incidents resulted in death. 

There is only one sure-fire way to eliminate this risk. Go cordless. With no hanging cords or strings, electric roller blinds completely remove the risk of children getting trapped or strangled. This makes them a safety-first alternative to standard window treatments.

Lutron blinds can also be integrated with your fire safety system. They can be programmed to open automatically when a fire is detected. This helps emergency responders to see the situation inside so they can react quickly. Smart blinds can save crucial time and reduce the risk for first responders. 

Final Thoughts

Ready to level up your home with smart window coverings? If you’re going to do it, make sure to do it right. It’s important to ask yourself these key questions before you speak to any installer: 

• Which type of blinds or curtains will best suit my home?
• How many rooms am I looking to add these to?
• Do I want to pair these with my other smart home technology?
• Do I know where to find a trusted installer?

At Chris Lewis we are Certified Lutron Installers. Our experts are highly experienced in the design and installation of Lutron technology including automatic window coverings. 

We know the benefits smart blinds can have for your day-to-day routine, and the integrations that will take this even further. We custom design smart systems that are a perfect fit for your expectations and vision.

Whether you want to increase your security or improve wellbeing in your home, as a leading smart home tech provider, we have the skills and experience to make your vision a reality. 

Get in touch with our design experts today: 

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