Verosol, sponsor of Smart Building Ideas at the 2022 Sustainability Awards, explains why automation is the way of the future when it comes to windows and blinds.

If the history of technology has taught us anything, it’s that automation is a force to be reckoned with. Sometime in the second half of the 20th century, it became apparent that most procedures, tasks, and processes that could be viably automated eventually would be.

Things that were once manual – like washing dishes, changing TV channels, opening garage doors, and even flying an airplane or driving a car – are now fully automated or moving in that direction.

The same is surely true for shading systems. Automated blinds and curtains offer a range of benefits including improved child safety, convenience, security, comfort, energy saving, environmental friendliness, and more. Together, they conclude that many types of manual blinds and curtains are on the way out.

What types of products are suitable for automation?

For those deciding to specify automated systems, the first step is to determine if the product in question is suitable for motorization. The good news here is that this list is long. In terms of interior applications, it includes roller blinds, pleated blinds, curtains, roman shades and venetian blinds.

And for external applications, it includes external roller blinds, skylight systems, folding arm awnings and venetian (rack arm) awnings. For these applications, it is important to note that function may be affected by exposure to the elements, such as high or gusty winds, rain, and snow.

Other Considerations

There are several variables associated with automating curtains and shades. Far from being a one-size-fits-all proposition, it involves choices about things like motor size and type, motor placement, and potential integration with building management systems.

This involves selecting appropriate control methods, as well as future-proofing smart connectivity, accessibility for installation and future maintenance, and preparing pre-wiring diagrams.

Additionally, decisions about fixing points, assurances of structural strength capable of handling heavier products than their manual counterparts, and provision of proper power supply are essential.

Similarly, a clear understanding of the reasons for including an automated system should be well understood during the early planning stages; and questions about flexibility and things like group control need to be answered.

Choice of fabrics and durability

The choice of fabric is also critical. While the construction sector’s contribution to carbon emissions and climate change is well understood and recognized, a key way to reduce these emissions is often overlooked.

It turns out that 30% of heating energy is lost through windows, and 76% of the sunlight that falls on standard double-glazed windows enters buildings to become heat.

It follows that quality window coverings can play a vital role in reducing energy costs and ensuring the sustainability of commercial buildings. The best way to optimize performance in this sense is to combine performance fabrics with automated shading systems.

The symbiotic relationship here translates into having the best performing textiles on a window in the right place at the right time, all the time, without human intervention.

At the same time, these systems help projects meet multiple regulations and certifications, including NCC Section J, Green Star, NABERS, and WELL.

It’s time to automate

Motorized and automated shading systems are nothing new. Surprisingly, although they were initially limited to primarily high-end residential (and some commercial) applications, they have been available for over 50 years.

As mentioned, however, their time has surely come. In the current age of Google, Alexa and self-driving cars, their potential for widespread appeal is obvious. Beyond that, legislative changes related to the safety of awnings should accelerate the transition to motorization and automation.

In response to figures which showed that in the United States, from 1990 to 2015, almost 17,000 children under the age of six were treated in hospitals for blinding-related injuries (and 271 of them died following their injuries), the authorities of this country decided to act. They have a policy in place that says all window coverings sold in stores and online as of December 2018 must be cordless or have inaccessible cords.

Shortly thereafter, in May 2019, Canadian authorities went further and applied similar restrictions to all types of window coverings, both mass-produced and custom-made.

Here in Australia, although such strong legislation has not yet been introduced, it is considered not a question of if but when it will be. Many expect some type of ban on manual products to be introduced within the next 12 to 24 months.

Given all of this, the message for prescribers couldn’t be clearer. The time to act – and start including automated shading systems in projects – is now. Otherwise, they risk ending up with systems that are not only less secure than they could be, but also fall behind the market in terms of performance and durability.

Click here to stream “Automated Shade – the Why and the How”, the CPD Live session presented by Indesign Media and sponsored by Verosol.