Are Motorized Blinds Worth It? An Honest Look
Motorized blinds used to be a luxury feature. Today they're often the practical choice, but not for every window. Here's how we help people decide.
In short
- Worth it for tall, wide or hard-to-reach windows, and for rooms with many shades.
- Worth it for child safety (no cords), accessibility and heat control on a schedule.
- Less worth it for one small window you rarely adjust.
- You can mix: motorize the hard windows and keep the rest manual.
On this page
Where motorized blinds earn their keep
- Tall and two-storey windows. If you need a pole or a ladder to reach it, motorize it. See arched, tall and two-storey windows.
- Large or heavy shades. Wide shades and long drapery are hard to lift by hand; a motor does it smoothly every time.
- Rooms with many windows. One button lowers the whole wall instead of six separate shades.
- Hard-to-reach spots. Behind a sofa, over a bathtub, above a kitchen sink or across a deep counter.
- Child and pet safety. No cords or chains at all. See Canada's cord rules.
- Accessibility. For anyone with limited mobility or strength, a remote or voice command makes every window usable.
- Heat and glare. Shades that lower themselves before the afternoon sun hits keep rooms cooler and protect floors. See south- and west-facing windows.
- Privacy and security. Close the street side at sunset automatically, and keep a lived-in schedule while you are away.
Where manual is fine
- A single small window you rarely adjust.
- A guest room or storage room.
- Rooms where the budget is better spent elsewhere.
Many homes end up motorizing the great room, the bedrooms and the hard-to-reach windows, and keeping cordless manual shades on the rest, in the same fabric so everything matches.
What affects the cost
We quote every home individually, but the price of motorization depends on the same few things:
- How many shades are motorized.
- The motor type: battery, solar or low-voltage hardwired.
- The size and weight of each shade.
- The controls: handheld remotes, a hub for app and voice control, wall keypads, or integration with a whole-home system.
- Wiring work, for hardwired motors in finished homes.
Battery, solar or hardwired?
Battery motors need no wiring and suit finished homes. Solar motors top up their own batteries on sunny windows. Hardwired low-voltage motors never need charging and suit new builds, renovations and big glass. Read solar, battery or hardwired for the full comparison.
Reliability and noise
Modern shade motors are quiet, a soft hum for a few seconds, and dependable. Battery and solar shades keep working during power and internet outages, and every motorized shade can be run from a handheld remote even if your phone or hub isn't available.
Smart home connection
Motorized shades work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and SmartThings, and with whole-home systems such as Control4, Crestron and Savant. See smart blinds at home.
The motors we install
- Smart motors with 2 Nm of torque: quiet, smooth and strong enough for the blinds and shades in most homes. They work with all the major smart home systems: Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and SmartThings.
- Low-voltage hardwired motors: our specialty for new builds, renovations and whole-home systems such as Control4, Crestron and Savant.
- Solar and battery options: for finished homes and windows without wiring.
- Motorized curtain tracks: for every curtain style we sell.
Every product can be motorized
Zebra, roller, triple, honeycomb and Roman shades, vertical sheers and curtains on tracks: we motorize every type of blind and curtain we sell, so one remote or app can run the whole house.
Try one before you decide
We bring a working motor demo to every free consultation, so you can hear how quiet it is and try the remote yourself before you choose.
Common questions
Can you motorize my existing blinds?
Sometimes. It depends on the product and the size of its roller tube. In many cases a new motorized shade is more reliable than converting an old one. We can check at the consultation.
What happens in a power outage?
Battery and solar shades keep working as normal. Hardwired shades pause until the power returns, unless the system has a backup supply.
Do motorized blinds need Wi-Fi?
No. They work with a handheld remote on their own radio. A hub connects them to Wi-Fi only for app, voice and away-from-home control.
What does the 3-year warranty cover?
The motor and its programming, fully, for three years. It is an in-house warranty, so you deal directly with our team.
