Automated Window Blinds For An Ecological Home

Many people seem to think that using automatic window blinds is merey a luxury that only the rich people can afford - and by having them they are only wasting another resource that we have, electricity. This is because there is an electric engine that controls the blinds and that always uses something to create the movement. Normally traditional blinds are not used for much more than just opening and closing the visibility to the home at night and in the morning, but there are other benefits as well, that most of us haven't though about.

Well have you thought about your air conditioner? That is a part in your home that uses quite a lot of energy especially during hot seasons. The biggest problem is that there is not much that people do to prevent it - we run the AC at full power during the summer, when we should be trying to prevent the house from heating up. Close those drapes and lower those shades, since that is going to prevent the sun from warming up the house, and if you are not familiar with this, you are paying a lot more than you should! Also you are wasting energy, and by that you are causing a threat to the environment.

Well this is where automated window blinds come in the picture. The best thing about them is that when using metallic blinds, they can block out about 80% of the heat of the sun - now that is a big save already. But when you think of it - do you want to have your blinds closed during the day when you are home?

You can set electric blinds like this to actually close when the sun is the hottest. This can be programmed to be done automatically, with a heat sensor. So you won't have to worry about your home when you are not at home - you could be working the day and remember that you left the blinds open and the sun suddenly starts to shine like never before. No worries - the heat sensor will detect the heat of the window which rises quite a lot when the sun is shining there, and it automatically closes the shades. That way you won't have to worry about that but you can focus on whats really important - like buying automated window blinds for at least the largest windows in your home.

This is not the only benefit that you can get from these kinds of blinds, and you will have to keep in mind that just like other window blinds, there are many different types available. We are talking about roman blinds, vertical blinds, adjustable blinds, horizontal blinds, venetian blinds - You name it! The mechanism is simple and I have even seen people doing them by themselves by rigging a battery powered drill to pull from the cord - I won't recommend this since there are a lot of hazards in doing this kind of modifications yourself, and you should never alter any electric appliances in your home unless you are a professional!

Where to Buy Automated Window Blinds

If you are considering getting yourself automated window blinds for your home or your office, you can find a lot of these in a lot of places. Some of the places where you can find automated blinds to use in your office include stores near you like home improvement stores and in department stores that carry these items in their inventory. You will find a lot of these in many different colors and sizes in most big stores that have home dÈcor and improvement departments. You may need to ask from some of the clerks if they do carry automated blinds in the store since some stores may not carry these items in stock.

Another place where you can easily find and buy these automated window blinds from is on the internet. With so many manufacturers and retailers of almost any item online, you can easily find these blinds on sites that are owned and operated by the manufacturers of such products themselves or by those that sell home improvement products and other similar items on their websites. You can also find some of these automated window blinds for sale on sites that specialize in selling these things or from those that offer window covering customization like sites that offer you drapery, curtains and other similar window treatments for sale or customization.

These online resources for automatic blinds often offer buyers a huge array of choices when it comes to window treatments and these automated blinds. You might even find them selling a kit for automating your old blinds with if you would rather not buy brand new blinds and would rather automate your old blinds. These online outlets usually offer free delivery if you are within the country of this site or if you are near one of their outlets or distributors.

Why People Use Automated Window Blinds

Why indeed would people use automated window blinds when opening and closing window blinds are actually pretty simple tasks to do? Just like every other thing that we have in our homes, people have been known to try and make things easier on themselves by automating almost anything and this includes the blinds that you have in your windows. Automated window blinds can be operated a few ways and this includes the opening and closing of the blinds to let light in or to darken the room and the action of rolling up the blinds and rolling them down to achieve these effects as well.

One of the reasons behind why people use blinds that are automated may stem from a need to be able to darken or brighten a room without having to stand up and do it yourself. To do this, you either rig your blinds to a home-made device that can roll up these shades, roll them back down, open the slats and close the slats or you can buy window blinds that are actually built with a device that does all these. If you choose to buy blinds that are already automated, and you can find these in a lot of home improvement stores near you, you should be warned that these cost a lot of money.

Building your own home made blind automation device may take a bit of doing but will cost you a whole lot less that the automated window blinds that you find in home improvement stores near you. Buying ready-made automated blinds however ensures you that you get quality automated blinds that open and close properly when you press the switch or the remote. These just cost a whole lot more and may end up setting you back around $100 or more for each set that you buy.

How to Clean Automated Window Blinds

When you have automated window blinds that open and close at the switch of a button, you will find that cleaning these and cleaning blinds that you operate manually is different. Cleaning blinds that you operate manually can be done easily since you can wet these blinds without fear of any mechanism getting stuck or getting electrocuted because of certain motorized and electrical parts getting wet. With window blinds that are automated however, you will need to clean these blinds differently and slowly to avoid electrocuting yourself or to avoid damaging the motor that makes these blinds open and close with the use of a remote.

If you have automated window blinds that you made yourself, then you can clean these blinds the usual way you clean blinds that are not automated. You simply need to remove the gadget you attached to your window blinds, take your blinds out to the back yard and hose it down to remove grime and dirt that accumulated on it. Dry these out with the use of paper towels and by air drying it.

If your automated window blinds are those that are store bought and have the mechanism built into the item's assembly then you will need to clean these out carefully by hand. You can start unplugging these blinds first and by using a vacuum cleaner to suck up any dust and dirt that are not sticking to the slats of your blinds. You will then need to get a damp rag and a dry rag and clean each slat with the use of the damp rag first followed by the dry one. Do each slat on both sides. When the damp rag you have darkens with dirt, rinse it off with water and wring excess moisture from it and continue doing the same process mentioned above until all the slats are clean.