Photocell-activated Blind Control

Photocell-activated Blind Controller

In another CCHT experiment, the energy performance of a photocell-activated blind control system installed in one house was compared to that of fixed window blind configurations installed in the adjacent identical house. The objective was to determine the change in overall house energy performance associated with the incorporation of automated window blind technology referred to as smartBLIND™, manufactured by Sun Dial Industries.

The smartBLIND™ system uses a photosensor and motorized window coverings to maintain a relatively constant level of illumination from outdoors, throughout the day. At night, the controls close the blinds automatically, to minimize night time heat loss. In the CCHT tests, the photocell-controlled blinds were installed on four south-facing windows. The motorized controls of each blind were connected to a single control system with a photocell installed in the living room window.

Motorized Blinds

One control strategy had the blinds open (horizontal slats) by day and closed (vertical) by night. The blinds were closed (vertical slats) at night. The assessments were performed over two weeks in winter and six weeks in summer. Letting full solar in during the day and closing the blinds at night resulted in about a 7% saving in overall heating performance compared to operating the blinds in reverse order (closed by day, opened by night).

The two summer experiments showed a statistically neutral energy performance (no net energy effect one way or the other) relative to the reference configurations chosen. Further research is needed to develop a full technical explanation as to why no savings in cooling energy were achieved in summer, and what could be the combination of factors that would lead to enhanced energy savings.

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Confidential Client Report.