Do motorized blinds still work during a power outage?

Most of Norman's motorized shades run on rechargeable batteries rather than a direct electrical connection, so a power outage doesn't affect them. Every motorized shade also keeps a manual override, so it can still be raised or lowered by hand if needed.

Can I retrofit motorization onto shades or shutters I already own?

Sometimes. Retrofit options exist for certain shade types, but whether it makes sense depends on the current hardware and fabric condition. AVL can evaluate your existing window treatments during a free consultation and recommend whether to retrofit or replace.

How long does a motorized shade installation take?

Most single-room installations are completed in a few hours. Whole-home projects with multiple rooms and smart-hub integration are scheduled in advance so the AVL team can walk through setup and app pairing with you before they leave.

Are motorized blinds safer for homes with kids or pets?

Yes. Motorized shades remove the hanging cords that pose a strangulation risk for young children and pets, which is one of the reasons cordless and motorized options have become the standard recommendation for family homes.

Motorized Blinds Asheville | Smart Home Shades

Motorized blinds let Asheville homeowners raise, lower, and tilt their window treatments from a smart-home app, a wall switch, or a simple voice command to Alexa or Google Home. For a region where sunrise over the Blue Ridge can mean brutal glare on a home office monitor by 9 a.m., that convenience solves a real daily problem.

AVL Window Blinds installs and programs Norman's motorized shading systems for homes across Buncombe and Henderson counties, from West Asheville lofts to high-ceiling mountain retreats in Fairview and Black Mountain.

This guide walks through how motorized shades work, who they're built for, what they cost, and how AVL handles installation from first consultation to final setup.

A motorized shade replaces the manual cord or wand with a small, quiet motor built into the headrail. You can operate it with a handheld remote, a wall-mounted switch, a smartphone app, or a voice assistant, and most systems run on rechargeable batteries so no new wiring is required in older homes.

Norman's motorized roller shades and cellular shades both support scheduling, so a shade can open automatically at sunrise and close again at sunset without anyone touching a button. That scheduling feature is what turns a nice convenience into a genuine energy and lifestyle upgrade for WNC's four distinct seasons.

Asheville's remote-work population has grown fastest in West Asheville, Weaverville, and the newer builds going up in Arden and Fletcher, and most of those homeowners share the same complaint: direct morning or afternoon sun turns a home office window into a glare problem right in the middle of a Zoom call.

Top-down/bottom-up cellular shades solve this without sacrificing the view. The shade can stay lowered from the top to cut glare at eye level while leaving the bottom of the window open for light and privacy at the same time. Set on a schedule, the shade adjusts itself before the first meeting of the day, so nobody has to remember to fix it.

Homes in Fairview, the Black Mountain ridges, and Biltmore Forest are often built with the view in mind, which means windows that reach 12 to 14 feet high with no practical way to reach a manual cord safely. Motorization solves the access problem outright, and it does more than that: it protects hardwood floors, rugs, and artwork from the UV damage and heat gain that come with those big mountain-view windows.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, roughly 30% of a home's heating energy is lost through its windows, and in the cooling season most of the sunlight hitting a standard double-pane window becomes heat inside the house. A scheduled motorized shade closes automatically during the hottest part of the afternoon and reopens once the sun has moved, which helps offset both problems without anyone having to think about it.

Every AVL project follows the same three-step process: an in-home consultation to talk through the rooms and goals, custom laser measurement and design to make sure every shade fits its opening exactly, and professional local installation and smart-home setup.

Motorized shades typically run higher than manual shades of the same fabric, largely because of the motor and any smart-hub hardware involved. Exact pricing depends on window size, fabric choice, and motor type, which is why AVL provides a free, no-obligation quote after seeing the actual windows rather than a flat number online.

Do motorized blinds still work during a power outage?
Most of Norman's motorized shades run on rechargeable batteries rather than a direct electrical connection, so a power outage doesn't affect them. Every motorized shade also keeps a manual override, so it can still be raised or lowered by hand if needed.
Can I retrofit motorization onto shades or shutters I already own?
Sometimes. Retrofit options exist for certain shade types, but whether it makes sense depends on the current hardware and fabric condition. AVL can evaluate your existing window treatments during a free consultation and recommend whether to retrofit or replace.
How long does a motorized shade installation take?
Most single-room installations are completed in a few hours. Whole-home projects with multiple rooms and smart-hub integration are scheduled in advance so the AVL team can walk through setup and app pairing with you before they leave.
Are motorized blinds safer for homes with kids or pets?
Yes. Motorized shades remove the hanging cords that pose a strangulation risk for young children and pets, which is one of the reasons cordless and motorized options have become the standard recommendation for family homes.