Battery Powered Shades vs Hardwired Shades a Detailed Comparison

Feb 17, 2022

So, you’ve decided to buy motorized shades but can’t figure out between battery-powered motorized shades or hardwired ones? In this article, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about battery-powered and hardwired motorized shades, including their pros and cons. Motorized shades are, in either case, reliable, effective, and easy to use. However, there are a few differences between hardwired shades and battery-powered motorized shades. This article presents a complete review of battery-powered shades vs. hardwired shades so it can be easy for you to make your decision.

BATTERY POWERED MOTORIZED SHADES

Let’s first talk about the battery-powered motorized shades. These bad boys are not only energy efficient, but also completely wireless. Some of the benefits of battery-powered shades are as follows:

Battery Powered Motorized Shades – Pros

Wireless:

The most common benefit of battery-powered blinds is that they are completely wireless. Not only does that mean cleaner windows, but also a touch of elegance to your building.

Good for High-End Windows:

Closely linked to the point above, battery-powered blinds are perfect for glazing, or windows that are otherwise too hard to reach. Usually, you will see these windows high up in the wall where your hand can’t even touch. If you’re in the planning or building stage of your building, you would be able to add a power source in these tough spots. However, if your house is already built, getting a power source to these high places is a very hectic job. In fact, it is almost impossible and extremely costly. That’s where you have to rely on batter-powered motorized shades.

Energy Efficient:

Battery-powered shades are highly energy-efficient. It is mainly because you don’t need to connect these to the main power source. This means that your impact on the environment is minimal. Furthermore, your battery can last for a pretty long time as well. Not to mention, it will practically have no impact on your electricity bill whatsoever.

Easy Installation:

Without the need for a power source near your window, you can essentially place battery-powered shades on any window of your building. Yes, even the ones nobody can ever reach, like skylights. What’s more is that if you like things old fashioned and prefer a wall switch rather than a remote to operate your blinds. An easy to use wireless control panel can be mounted to your wall without the requirement of a main power, making it highly energy efficient.

Battery Powered Motorized Shades – Cons

Battery Replacement:

The estimated time for a battery is roughly 1-2 years with normal use. Moreover, sometimes they can run out earlier than that as well. However, replacing the batteries is an easy task. They are standard household D cell batteries that you can easily get hold of.

Rise and Fall Not Symmetrical:

Usually, people have multiple battery-powered shades side by side to each other. In that case, the speed of the blinds depends upon the batteries. Since batteries can have small power variations, the speed of the rising and falling of the blinds may differ slightly.

Not Suitable for Large Blinds:

If your building has large windows, chances are the battery-powered motorized shades might not have enough power to control your blinds. Battery Motorized shades are better equipped to handle small to medium windows, no matter at which height they may be. However, if you want to install battery-powered shades instead of the hardwired ones, you can install multiple shades on your large windows, rather than a single big one.

HARDWIRED ELECTRIC MOTORIZED SHADES

Hardwired electric motorized shades on the other hand do not provide the same elegance that battery-powered shades provide. However, these motorized shades are more reliable. Furthermore, they way more convenient for large windows in comparison to battery powered shades.

Hardwired Electric Motorized Shades – Pros

Good for Large Blinds:

Batteries can only store a limited amount of power. Therefore, they start running low for large blinds. Since the hardwired shades take energy directly from the main power source, they are more capable in terms of large blinds. Using the main electricity will ensure maximum power and smooth operation at all times.

Symmetrical Rise and Fall:

Unlike battery motorized shades, hardwired electric shades have a constant supply of electricity. So, when you place hardwired shades side by side, they would fall and rise in harmony with one another. By using a hardwired system, your electric blinds will move in perfect symmetry.

Energy Efficient:

Although hardwired batteries are connected to your main power source, they are designed in such a way that they use minimal energy. You can give these the credentials of boasting good energy efficiency as well. This means the hardwired shades would only draw a small amount of power, and you won’t have to worry about the electricity bill.

Constant Power:

If you want to ensure that your shades always have access to power, a hardwired option is best. You would need to replace batteries from time to time, while the hardwired motorized shades would run constantly.

Hardwired Electric Motorized Shades – Cons

Complicated Installation:

Installing hardwired electric motorized shades tends to have more complications involved as compared to battery ones. The hardwired shades require an A5 Amp fused spur near to the location where you will hang them. So, unless you already have a suitable socket, a new one will need to be fitted by a qualified electrician.

Exposed Wires:

Unlike the simplistic nature of the wireless battery-powered blinds, you need to directly connect hardwired shades to the power source. This requires wires to do so. So to conceal these, you need to run the wires from the roller of the Window Shade to the socket, so you can’t see them.

FINAL WORDS

Here was your complete review of battery-powered vs hardwired Motorized shades. I wish I could tell you which type of motorized shades fit your needs; however, I will leave that decision up to you. If you have large windows, I would recommend the hardwired window shades for convenience. However, if you have multiple small to medium-sized windows, battery-powered shades would better fit your style. In either case, I hope you found this article interesting, and if you have any more questions, you can ask us in the comments below or contact us by clicking here.

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