New to Motorized Shades? Start Here.
Denver's Sun and Seasons Ask a Lot of Your Windows. Motorized Shades Can Handle It.
Colorado is one of the sunniest states in the country. Living here, that's a gift…until it isn't. A west-facing living room can go from comfortable to overheated in the span of an hour. And a bedroom with too much morning light won't let you sleep past sunrise. Not to mention, your framed photographs, artwork, and bookshelves are bound to fade in the sun after a few years.
That’s why more and more homeowners are embracing the power of motorized shades. Advanced systems adjust window treatments on a schedule, through voice command, or a single tap from your phone. Here’s how it works.
Wireless or Wired: How Your Shades Get Power
At Electronic Integration, we partner with Shade Innovations, the shading division of projection screen manufacturer Screen Innovations. The brand gives you two paths for power:
- Battery-operated shades run on a rechargeable battery rated for about three years before it needs attention, and they install without running new wiring, which makes them a good fit for retrofits.
- PoE (Power over Ethernet) wired shades draw power and data through a single cable, which means no batteries to think about and a connection built for homes that already have structured wiring in place.
Your integrator (that’s us) can help you decide which makes more sense, room by room.
Shade Innovations also comes in a range of styles depending on the look and function you want, including roller, duo roller (two fabrics, one headrail), Roman, cellular, woven woods, and zebra shades.
One Shade, Two Jobs
Dual roller shades let you switch between a sheer, light-filtering fabric and a full blackout fabric on the same window. Run the sheer during the day to soften glare while keeping the view, then drop the blackout at night or during a movie.
For drapery, Shade Innovations offers motorized pinch pleat and ripplefold curtain tracks, so if you prefer fabric drapery to a roller shade, you don't have to give up automation to get it.
Shades Built for Outdoor Living
Denver's wind and temperature swings are hard on outdoor fabric, which is why Shade Innovation’s KAOS outdoor shades are built with a high-wind rating specifically for exposed patios, decks, and pergolas. They hold up to gusts that would tear a standard shade off its track, so you can keep a covered outdoor space usable and shaded through most of the year.
Control However You Want
Motorized shades only earn their place if they're easy to use. With a professional, integrated setup, you can control your shades through:
- A whole-home automation platform, scheduled by time of day or sun position
- A wall keypad in the room
- Voice commands
- Your phone, from anywhere
- A tap on a bedside control without getting up
Let's Talk Through the Right Shades for Your Home
Every window in a home works a little differently, depending on which direction it faces, how much privacy it needs, and what's on the other side of the glass. Electronic Integration installs and programs automated shades throughout the Denver, CO, area, and we're happy to design a custom system for your home.
