Energy Efficiency

Automate® Smarter Shades add more to a home than just convenience, they facilitate advanced control of your indoor climate – be it natural heat or natural light.  Regardless of how sophisticated your window glazing, or tint may be, they’re rarely a match for mother nature’s dynamic tendencies. Wild weather shifts, from strong sun rays, to cold overcasts, usually invite excessive use of air-conditioning, heating and lighting.

Although it may be second nature to reach for the thermostat and reverse undesired temperature spikes, it can prove to be detrimental to yearly energy expenses, as well negatively contributing to current global climate health. Similarly, switching the lights on in your home is traditionally more convenient than manually raising shades or opening drapes. Unfortunately, this too has a negative impact on your home, your wallet and our planet.

Traditional methods of light and heat control remain necessary for home comfort, however we’re on a mission to help reduce the impact of these traditional methods. Automated shading systems add a new dimension of control and convenience that can help you break out of conventional and costly habits.

Research has found that uncovered windows are responsible for up to a 40% loss of heating energy, while conversely also contributing up to 87% of a home’s heat gain [1], depending on external weather conditions. Mitigating such high amounts of energy transfer through windows can be as simple as raising or lowering your shades at optimal times. This is where problems arise with manual blinds.

Removing the cord and introducing motorisation can break the barrier between you and a lazy relationship with your window coverings. Motorised shades seamlessly integrate into modern-day living and propose a safer, more elegant and efficient solution to their manually operated counterparts. Effortlessly manage your shades with dynamic control options, from remotes to sun-sensitive sensors.

Smarter shades to optimize our internal environments.  

By creating unique, dynamic modes that seamlessly raise or lower shades throughout the day, your home’s natural climate regulates dependent on outside temperature, time or the sun’s location. Automates smart triggers, schedules, timers and sensors, ensure your shades move to optimize your home’s energy efficiency. A modern home is a connected home and with Automate, your shades quickly familiarise themselves into any existing IoT eco system. Your shades effortlessly adjust themselves if your connected devices sense a shift in temperature, light or your location.  

8-15% of the average Australian household‘s electricity budget can be consumed by lighting (or about 6% of its entire energy use)[2]By relying less on a light switch and more on ideal shade positions, your electricity bill can be greatly affected. Automate motors can determine where your shade should be positioned based on the solar exposure and smart sunrise and sunset detection. When not in direct exposure, Automate shades shift to different positions that ensure your brightest days are sun fueled.  

Stay warmer in Winter & cooler in Summer

Capture heat in winter and release it in summer.

A dynamic shading system can cover your windows in times of intense heat, creating a comfortable, shaded sanctuary. Just as easily, raising all the shades in a home to absorb as much sun light as possible, can significantly reduce the amount of internal heating that is needed during the cooler months. For everyday in between, your shades can endlessly move at the click of a button, or less, to a height best suited to combat the ever-changing outside environment.

Indoor & Outdoor Benefits

Windows are one of the primary contributors to HVAC loads and consequent costs in environments.

When selected correctly and installed properly, shades can save energy, reduce costs, as well as improve comfort levels significantly. By placing shades in the right position before the sun arrives, outdoor shades reduce solar glare and heat gain, while increasing the amount of usable daylight, views to the outside, and energy savings.

Commercial Advancements

It can be difficult to manage manual shades in most homes, but even more so in commercial buildings. The excessive number of windows present and needed in large structures can quickly become overwhelmingly difficult to manage effectively. With Automate Shades and the Pulse Hub, commercial buildings and businesses can benefit from a centralised point of control for managing natural light and heat.

Additionally, schedules and triggers move shades throughout the day based on the suns position, creating the perfect climate for customers, patrons and employees as well as significantly impacting the time, effort and energy needed to otherwise create a comfortable space. 

Automating a better future

The world’s need for energy efficient solutions continues to heighten and we’re committed to help accelerate the movement to a better connected, secured and emission-free home. A sustainable future that doesn’t fall short of the luxuries we’ve come to expect, but one that enhances our level of comfort, without damaging the world around us. To learn more about the impact of our smarter and safer automated shades, contact us today and speak to one of our specialised automate team members

References: 

  1. https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/glazing 
  2. https://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy