Motorised Blinds & Curtains — Costs, Options and Whether They're Worth It

The quick answer: motorised blinds and curtains swap the chain or cord for a quiet motor you run by remote, phone app or voice. They're worth it for hard-to-reach windows, rooms you open and close every day, accessibility and smart homes, and honestly not worth it for a single easy-to-reach window. Here's how the options stack up, what drives the cost, and how to decide.

What are motorised blinds and curtains?

Motorisation replaces the manual operation of a blind or curtain with a small electric motor. On a roller blind the motor hides inside the tube; on a curtain it drives the track so the fabric glides open and closed. You control it with a handheld remote, a wall switch, your phone, a voice assistant, or an automatic schedule. At its simplest it's a remote-controlled blind. At its most involved it's a whole-home system that sets every window to the time of day and the sun. Most homes land somewhere in between.

We supply and install motorised systems on the Automate (Rollease Acmeda) and Somfy platforms, and we've been fitting them long enough to know what lasts. To be clear about what that means: we make and install your blinds and curtains, and we motorise them on those systems, we don't make the motors.

What can you actually motorise?

Most of the range, as it turns out:

• Roller blinds, the most common by a distance. The motor hides in the tube; sunscreen, light-filter and blockout all take one.
• Curtains, a track motor draws them for you, quietly enough for a bedroom.
• Roman blinds, a small motor in the headrail works the lift, with no dangling cord.
• Venetians, motorised tilt, handy where you adjust the slats several times a day.
• Honeycomb blinds and skylights, the classic case: a skylight three metres up that you'd otherwise never touch.
• Outdoor blinds and Zipscreens, where motorised is close to standard, with wind and sun sensors on exposed sites.

Battery or wired? Your power options

This is the choice that shapes the price and the install more than anything else.

• Rechargeable battery (no wiring): a motor inside the tube, recharged by USB every several months to a year or more depending on use. The least disruptive way to motorise an existing home, because there's no cable to chase through finished walls.
• Solar-assisted: a small clip-on panel trickle-charges the battery, so on a sunny window you rarely recharge at all.
• 12V hardwired: a low-voltage motor off a transformer, quiet and reliable, ideal for a new build or reno where cable can go in before the plaster.
• 240V hardwired: mains-connected for large, heavy or outdoor blinds and wide curtain tracks. A licensed electrician does the final connection.

Rule of thumb: if the walls are open, hardwire it; if the plaster's up and you'd rather not cut into it, go battery. We match the motor to the size and weight of each blind at the quote, so nothing's underpowered.

Remote, app or voice, how you control it

You can keep it as plain as one remote for one blind, or bring it into a smart home:

• Remotes and wall switches: a single-channel remote for one blind, or a multi-channel one that runs zones, all the bedrooms on one button, the living room on another. No app needed.
• Phone app: with a hub you control blinds from your phone, group them and set schedules. On the Automate system the motor talks back to the app, so it shows the blind's position and flags when a battery's getting low.
• Voice: "close the living room blinds" through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple Siri, with Matter support on the newer Pulse hub.
• Schedules and sensors: blinds that open at 7am, or a west-facing bedroom that drops itself before the afternoon sun. In the Central West, where morning light and hard western sun are a daily fact of life, that one's more useful than it sounds.

What do motorised blinds and curtains cost?

The honest answer is that it depends on the job, so rather than quote a number that won't match your windows, here's what actually moves the price:

• Motor type: a rechargeable battery motor is the lowest-cost way in. Hardwired 12V and 240V motors cost more per unit and add cabling, and 240V needs an electrician for the mains connection.
• How many: one motor on one tricky window is a small add-on; whole-home motorisation is a bigger job. The systems scale, though, so you can start with a room and add to the same platform later.
• Smart-home gear: a hub for app and voice control is a one-off extra on top of the motors.
• The product itself: a big or outdoor blind uses a larger, dearer motor than a small bedroom roller.

The motor is an add-on to the blind or curtain, not a separate purchase, so the real question is whether the window earns it. We put motorisation pricing in the quote wherever it's relevant, and a free measure is the only way to get a number that's actually yours.

Are motorised blinds worth it?

Straight answer, because we get asked this every week. Motorisation is worth it when:

• the window's hard to reach, over a stairwell, a high fixed pane, a skylight;
• you open and close it every single day, so the convenience compounds;
• it's large or heavy, where a chain wears faster and pulls awkwardly;
• grip, reach or strength is a factor, motorisation asks for none of the three, which is why we fit a lot of it for people ageing in place;
• you already run a smart home, or you want blinds and outdoor screens on a schedule.

It's probably not worth it for a single, easy-to-reach bedroom window you lower at night and lift in the morning with a comfortable chain. There's no shame in a manual blind that works perfectly, and we'll tell you that on the measure rather than sell you a motor you won't feel the benefit of.

One more thing that isn't only about convenience: a motorised blind has no operating cord or chain, which removes the cord that makes standard blinds a risk around young children. It meets the cord-free requirement of the Corded Internal Window Coverings Safety Standard 2014.

A real one: The Farmers Hut, Wilga Station

A good example of when motorisation is the only sensible answer sits on a hilltop at Evans Plains, just out of Bathurst. The Farmers Hut is Wilga Station's off-grid retreat, grass roof, big valley views, every detail meant to disappear into the architecture. The brief was a blind you'd never notice. We supplied and installed a fully recessed roller blind on a Somfy motor, tucked inside the joinery so it vanishes when it's up. One button frames the view by day and closes for warmth and privacy at night, with no visible fixing and no cord in sight. You can't do that with a chain.

Frequently asked questions

Can my existing blinds be motorised?
Often, yes. Many roller tubes take a retrofit motor without re-making the blind. It depends on the tube size and the age of the blind, which we can check on a service visit.

Do I need an electrician?
Not for battery motors, they're wire-free. A 12V system needs a small transformer connected, and 240V motors always need a licensed electrician for the mains connection. We tell you which applies at the quote.

Do they work with Alexa and Google?
Yes. With a compatible motor and a hub you get voice control through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple Siri, plus Matter on the newer Pulse hub.

What happens in a blackout?
Battery motors keep working, they're not on mains. Hardwired motors won't run until the power's back, though most have a manual override.

How long does a battery last between charges?
On the rechargeable motors we fit, usually several months to a year or more, depending on how often the blind runs. A clip-on solar panel can keep it topped up so you rarely think about it.

What warranty comes with it?
The Automate lithium battery motors carry a 5-year warranty, and the smart-home hubs 7 years. We service what we install, so if something needs a travel-limit reset or a re-pair down the track, you call us.

Quicksew has been making and installing custom window furnishings in Bathurst since 1977. We measure, make and fit motorised blinds and curtains across the Central West and Sydney, and we're still here when they need a hand years later. See our motorisation and smart-home options, or book a free measure and quote. Call (02) 6332 2144.