Tips From The Top

  • We’re excited about windows this month

    Windows play a huge role in our home lives. They affect our quality of light, air temperature, and security. For us as integrators, we are thrilled when we can bring our clients smart home window solutions that are not only beautiful, but also improve their home’s comfort and energy costs. We install and integrate smart window solutions that help our clients take advantage of the natural daylight, which is better for their overall health and keeps lighting costs lower. Our installations also help to manage heating and cooling costs, taking advantage of sunlight or blocking it as needed. And the automated shading systems can increase a home’s security, wherever the home owner may be.

    This month, one of our favorite smart window and lighting companies – Lutron – unveiled their new wire-free, exposed roller shading system, Palladiom. This new system can accommodate 12x12 foot windows and uses 6D cell batteries, with a 3-5-year battery life. This new system allows us as integrators to install exposed shades late in a project. This can be especially helpful to our clients who realize at the end stages of a build or renovation that they want a roller shading system, or who are undecided about the exact system they want until they can see it unfold in their own homes and businesses.

    Lutron releases its new shades in response to an increased demand. According to the CE Pro 2021 Lighting & Shade Deep Dive Study, motorized and rollers shades are in higher demand than ever before. This year, 19% of all motorized shades installed by integrators were battery-powered, while 28% of all projects this year will include at least one exposed roller shade.

    The Lutron Palladiom Wire‐Free Shading System offers the utmost in flexibility, as its sleek industrial design is completely wire-free. Because pre-wiring is unnecessary, this shade can be installed at any point in a project, even after construction is done.

    The simple design and function of the is powered by “Active Energy Optimization,” Lutron’s new battery management system. It uses no more than six D‐cell batteries, while still maintaining a battery life of three to five years. Replaceable batteries are completely concealed within the shade, accessible when needed, with an integrated antenna for wireless communication, and an efficient drive that can run longer on fewer batteries.

    The design is flexible enough to match a variety of tastes and interiors, and takes up less than 3 ¼ inches of vertical space, while covering windows up to 12x12 feet. The shade’s brackets are available in seven different materials to complement the home. They also match the Palladiom hardware, keypads and thermostats for a cohesive look throughout the home.

    The shade’s movement is “whisper quiet,” and allows for precise alignment to 1/8 inch. An app alerts homeowners when the batteries are low, and a simple bracket mechanism enables a simple battery change without removing the shade.

    And like Lutron clients know from experience, this new product can be fully integrated with Lutron’s HomeWorks.

    To learn more about how the new Lutron Palladiom Wire‐Free Shading System could offer you greater comfort, security, and energy control in your home, call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to discuss the possibilities.