24v vs 230v Roller Blinds: Which Motor Is Right for You?
Electric roller blinds bring added style, convenience and luxury to your home.
Motorised blinds can be set up to operate automatically at set times using a smart home device, operated via voice control, linked to your building management system and much more.
But how do you know which motor is right for you? Should you use a mains powered 230v motor or a low-voltage 24v motor?
Let’s break down the differences and help you decide which type to choose.
230v Mains-powered Motors
When you think of electric blinds, you’re probably thinking of mains-powered. This means the motor is connected to power through a plug or fused spur unit, which is connected directly to the home’s mains power.
Mains powered motors are generally more powerful than low-voltage ones, meaning they can operate much larger and heavier blinds. This makes them ideal for large windows and skylights. At Umbra we use a 9Nm, 230v motor on our rooflight blinds to make sure the motor is powerful enough to pull against the weight and tension of the system.
With a 230v motor, you don’t need to worry about the length of your motor cable either. No matter how far the motor is placed from the power source, it won’t suffer a sufficient voltage drop to impact the performance of your blind.
This is a huge benefit if your blind is situated high on the wall or ceiling, or if the wiring has to travel across multiple rooms to get to the blind from the power source.
230v motors also don’t need a transformer to get power as a 24v motor does. The motor can be plugged in directly to power with no extra equipment needed, whereas a low-voltage motor would need a transformer to reduce the voltage coming from the power source. This is an extra part to order and an additional cost. It will also often need to be concealed close to the window which can be tricky.
24v Low-voltage Motors
Low-voltage motors have a 24v input, and so they tend to be less powerful than the motors we just discussed. However, we can still manufacture a roller blind up to 4m wide and 6m drop using a 24v motor.
24v motors tend to be more compact than 230v motors. Not only smaller in length so they can fit in smaller blinds, but they can also be used in smaller diameter tubes which makes the blind more compact overall. This could be a huge benefit if you’re trying to install it in a ceiling pocket where space is limited.
24v motors will also tend use smaller diameter power cables which makes them easier to hide away if they aren’t being hidden in the walls. Just be aware, very these small cables and low voltage can cause some voltage drop if they are too long, so keep your blinds as close to the power source as possible.
If you don’t have a power source close to your window, you can always use a battery-powered LV motor with your blinds. This is a great option if your windows are difficult to get the wiring to, or even if you don’t want any wiring and want an easy-to-install, wireless retro-fit solution.
Both options have great possibilities for connecting to smart home systems and a huge variety of fabric choices that can work with them, so the choice is just about knowing which is best for your situation. If a reliable power supply and the ability to operate heavy blinds are most important to you, a 230v motor is probably best.
However, if space is limited and you don’t have an easy to access power source, a 24v motor might suit you better. There’s no wrong choice!