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Looking for that next smart upgrade for your Somerset County, NJ home? We have a suggestion: motorized shades. On the surface, Lutron smart shades might not seem like the sort of thing that adds value to your home or lifestyle, but the truth is that there is a lot to love about them. We’ve listed some of the top benefits below – see if any of them stand out as a good reason for you to bring smart shades to your home!
1. They Help Create the Perfect Lighting The light fixtures in your home are just half of the lighting equation. If you want true smart control over the brightness in each room, you need a way to manage natural light. Smart window treatments give you that control. Instead of just putting the shades on a timer to open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m., modern window shades can connect to an astronomical time clock. This is useful because, as seasons change, the sun rises and sets at different times of the day. So without any extra effort from you or changes in settings each season, your shades react to the position of the sun and ensure each room is perfectly lit.
2. They Enhance Your Interior Design Beyond the advantages of controlling the lighting in the room, motorized shades offer another way to improve the overall design of your home. They allow you to add shades to high windows that can’t be easily reached with standard treatments. Instead of leaving those windows undressed, you can choose from thousands of different patterns and fabrics, then adjust the shade positioning with the push of a single button.
3. They Make Your Home More Energy Efficient According to Energy.gov, almost half of your yearly energy usage is due to heating and cooling your home. If you want to save on energy costs, there’s an alternative to leaving your home chilly during the winter and stifling during the summer. In the summer, you can use your motorized shades to drastically reduce solar heat gain, one of the main causes your AC is running constantly. In the winter, the shades work as insulators, keeping the heat from leaching out of the windows. 4. They Make Your Home More Secure Window coverings probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind for home security, but by investing in motorized shades, you could keep your home from a break-in. An overwhelming number of break-ins happen when the homeowners are traveling, leaving the home unoccupied. However, you can use the smart technology in your home to fool the would-be thieves into thinking your home is occupied, even when no one is there. This setup works by taking advantage of a smart “vacation scene” within your home automation system. When you leave, press the “Vacation” button on your smart system. Throughout the day, your home will mimic the patterns of regular usage. So instead of leaving the shades closed the entire time and all the lights off, the shades will open and close at regular intervals, and the lights will turn on and off in certain rooms.
5. They Improve Privacy Burglars aren’t the only people you want to keep out of your home. Use your smart window shades to keep out prying eyes. If your home is within line of sight of a neighbor or a public street, there are ways to enjoy natural light without opening up your home to the casual observer. Many motorized shade manufacturers, such as Lutron, provide fabrics specifically designed to let in sunlight while still providing coverage that keeps the inside of your home completely private.
6. They Increase Comfort At the end of the day, your technology should work to make life easier and more comfortable for you. When you’re relaxing on the couch in the evening, enjoying a novel or watching TV, you shouldn’t have to get up and walk over to the windows just to block out the glare of the setting sun. Instead, simply pull out your smart phone, select the room you’re in, and tap “close” on the window shades. Even easier, use a voice control system like Amazon Echo to say “Alexa, close the window shades in the living room.” It will immediately happen without you having to raise a finger. The image at the top of this post is an example of what’s possible with smart window treatments. Linen sheers are accompanied by Lutron Roller 64 blackout shades, making it easy to create the perfect lighting for whatever occasion.
For additional resources, please visit our page on window treatments, motorized blinds and Lutron smart shades with articles like this on everything you need to know. Additionally, you can check out our photo gallery on the same page to explore our previous work.
Bravo AV is proud to be an HTA (Home Technology Association) Certified Installation Firm and professional A/V experts. Tom Curnin, the owner of Bravo AV, is a CEDIA Professional Designer, a certified THX Level 1 home theater professional and a member of the Home Acoustic Alliance trained to Level II. You can contact Tom directly at (908) 953-0555 or through email at Tom@BravoAV.com.