When you think about the benefits of lighting control systems, managing the sun isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But more and more homeowners are doing just that as a way to live a more convenient lifestyle and manage spiraling energy costs.
“The category is growing exponentially,” says David Weinstein, vice president of sales for global window systems at Lutron. “For high-end residential applications, controllable shades have become the next must-have technology.”
Homeowner enthusiasm for automated shade control came as a bit of surprise to Jennifer Leidig, vice president of Ambiance Systems in Clifton Park, N.Y. Leidig was monitoring the Google hits for the company Web site recently when she noticed that the No. 1 keyword search topic that popped up was motorized window shades. The company quickly expanded its line of Lutron Sivoia QED window treatments as a result. “You wouldn’t believe how much we’re selling these things now,” she says. “They are whisper quiet, you can choose whatever fabric you want and people love them. They’re the sexiest thing to come on the home automation scene lately.”
For Ambiance Systems, automatic shade control was initially a means to creating the perfect home theater. Blackout shades block out any trace of sun that could detract from the detail in a darkly lit movie scene. The motorization aspect adds convenience to the complex choreography of events that bring a theater to life. When a homeowner taps the Watch Movie button on a touchpanel remote control, the lights fade, motorized drapes close, the screen unfurls, and all the electronic gear powers on to the correct settings and inputs.
Throughout the custom electronics world, in fact, motorized shades have traditionally been about supporting the home theater experience, but that’s changing as motorized window treatments are coming into their own as an electronics category.
Lutron, known primarily for its dimmers and lighting control systems, has expanded its portfolio with the addition of the Sivoia line of motorized window treatments. The company sees controlling daylight as an extension of lighting control in general and has integrated operation of its shades into its HomeWorks and RadioRA automated lighting systems. The high-end HomeWorks system treats Sivoia shades as separate zones of light.
According to Weinstein, luxury homeowners are choosing automated window treatments for convenience, aesthetics, enhanced privacy, protection of furnishings, and energy savings. Many of the same benefits that apply to lighting control can extend to shades, he adds. Automated shade control can help create mood, provide security, and light settings appropriate to specific tasks. And don’t forget the wow factor, he adds. “Picture driving away from your house, hitting a button on the car visor and watching all the shades and lights in your house go down,” he says. “That’s pretty cool.”
Room aesthetics benefit from controllable shades too, since the unsightly cord is replaced by a remote control, whether it’s a handheld type, mounted on the wall, or integrated into a touchscreen system from AMX, Crestron, Elan or others. “If you’re in Manhattan and everything is glass, you have a very nice view and you don’t want a chain or cord hanging in your view,” says Dave Froerer, vice president of Solar Shading Systems.
Convenience is the primary driver, though, especially for upscale luxury homes. “We did a vacation home in Wyoming with 180 woven wood shades,” Froerer says. “One room alone had 38 shades. The thought of getting up in morning and opening 38 shades is silly.”
Adjustable Ease. Once homeowners are educated about the conveniences controllable shades offer, it’s easy to come up with ways they can benefit from the technology. They may want to close bedroom and breakfast nook shades for privacy at night and then have them open automatically after the alarm goes off so there is one less task to perform in the morning. Later in the day the homeowner may want to reduce heat gain and glare coming into the house and a timer-controlled system can automatically close the shades according to schedule. Systems from companies including Lutron, Somfy, and Solar Shading systems are available with astronomical clocks, whose sunrise and sunset settings adjust according to the time of year.
