CE Pro February 2023 - 50

CE Products
FIELD TEST | EDITOR'S PICK | NEW PRODUCTS
PowerShades Makes
Shades Installation
Process a Snap
By Robert Archer
THERE ARE FEW categories
as hot and trendy as
motorized shades and other
window treatments.
Lighting and shade controls
are opening new doors
for integrators addressing
the needs of modern homeowners
that want more than
a nice home theater or even
a robust network to stream
and work from home (WFH).
Today's automated shade
products allow integrators
to help their clients control
their homes' energy efficiency
and natural sunlight
simply and easily - as well
as appease interior designers
with the range of styles.
PowerShades offers integrators
a complete product
line of indoor and outdoor
shades that includes various
styles, materials and power
options; among them are
its Verona Twilight product
I tested out. Working with
the company, I measured a
pair of windows in my living
room that let in an enormous
amount of sunlight
during the day to help
manage the situation.
Once my wife had chosen
the fabric type and color,
PowerShades sent along
the shades with the Verona
Daylight material for us to
install and live with now
that we've entered the
direct sun, winter months in
Massachusetts.
The Twilight blackout
material enables TV
viewing during peak direct
sunlight hours especially
on weekends.
Features & Setup
PowerShades offers a large
variety of hardware styles,
and power options that
include battery, PoE (Power
over Ethernet) and manual.
The large selection of fabrics
has too many types to list,
and of course the company
makes custom sizes to support
just about any installa50
| CE Pro February 2023
The custom shades measured 34.75 x 64.5 inches (W x L),
and PowerShades offers a wealth of styles and fabrics.
tion scenario.
For our application, my
wife chose the Verona
Twlight, which is a privacy
blackout material from Mermet.
She went with " Nova "
(000NOV) for the color.
The Verona Twlight
fabric is described as a fancy
weave with an openness
factor of <1%. According to
PowerShades, the fabric is
rated to provide 99% UV
blockage, and it is classified
NFPA 701-10 TM#1, California
U.S. Title 19.
For hardware, my wife
selected an open roll style
shade with the company's
" old " antique brass finish.
Once I submitted the
measurements for the windows
to PowerShades, they
turned the order around in
about 10 days - much faster
than I had anticipated.
PowerShades told me the
installation is similar to a
traditional shade product,
so I confidently enlisted my
wife to help. (Full disclosure:
Prior to this installation,
I'd never installed a shade
in my life, but my wife had
installed many.)
Laying the hardware
out, we grabbed a drill,
screwdrivers, a pencil and
level. After figuring out the
assembly of the shades -
PowerShades sent shades
with the electric power
option - we were able to
install the first shade. Realizing
that we had installed
the " right " shade on the left
window, we pulled it down
and a few minutes later we
cepro.com
http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro February 2023
