Lutron Motorized Shades: Questions and Answers
23 questions South Florida owners ask before they buy Lutron shades, answered with real numbers: what they cost, how long batteries last, how quiet they run, what works on skylights and in ceiling pockets, and who services them. From a Lutron certified dealer with Lutron shades running in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.
The short version
One 72 by 84 in Lutron roller shade is about $3,141 with fabric and motor in our quote engine, budgetary and before tax. Triathlon batteries are rated three to five years. Palladiom runs under 35 dBA at 3 ft. Shades in a group stop within 1/8 in of each other. Skylights take one of 7 approved Lutron designs. Every line uses the same library of 921 colourways.
Each answer below links to the page that goes deeper, with Lutron's own sources.
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Choosing a Lutron shading system
Why do so many high-end homes choose Lutron shades?
Three things show up in our installs. Intelligent Hembar Alignment keeps every shade in a group level to within 1/8 in. The motors are quiet: Lutron rates Palladiom under 35 dBA at 3 ft and Sivoia QS under 44 dBA. And the shades live on the same system as Lutron lighting and keypads. It earns its price on walls of glass, oversize windows, drapery tracks and new construction with an automation system. It is not always the answer: on many ordinary windows with a real budget, wired Somfy does the same job for less, and we install both. When Lutron is the right choice.
What is the difference between Palladiom, Sivoia QS, Triathlon and Serena?
Sivoia QS is Lutron's wired, specification-grade line: 20 in to 20 ft wide, coupled runs, side channels and recessed pockets. Triathlon is the wire-free dealer line on replaceable D batteries, with Roman shades and wood blinds in the range. Serena is sold direct with Pico remotes and the Lutron app. Palladiom is the design line, with exposed hand-finished hardware, wire-free or wired. All four use the same Lutron fabric library. Full comparison of the four lines.
Which Lutron shade works on a skylight or sloped glass?
The Sivoia QS tensioned shade. It keeps the fabric under constant tension on a guided system, so it stays flat at any angle, including fully horizontal under a glass roof. Only 7 Lutron designs (250 colourways) are approved for it: E Screen, M Screen, T Screen, Basketweave 27, Basketweave 90, and the Premiere and Standard blackouts. Choose from that list early if the skylights should match the windows. Skylight-approved Lutron fabrics and skylight shades.
Can Lutron shades be hidden in the ceiling?
Yes. The roller, motor and brackets sit in a recessed pocket built into the ceiling, wall or window reveal, so only the fabric shows. We recess Sivoia QS rollers, Palladiom and Triathlon shades and Lutron drapery tracks, typically in a Blindspace S100x100 box for standard rollers and S130x130 or C Series for wide glass, sized from Lutron's roll-up chart. The pocket and its wiring are placed at framing, so this is a decision for the design stage. Recessed shade pockets.
Does Lutron make drapery tracks, Roman shades and wood blinds?
Yes. Sivoia QS runs motorized drapery tracks, and Lutron's Roman shades, honeycomb shades and Basswoods wood blinds (18 stains and paints) run on the same platforms as its roller shades, so one keypad or app controls all of them. Lutron wood blind colours.
What Lutron shades cost
How much do Lutron motorized shades cost in South Florida?
In our quote engine, one 72 by 84 in Lutron roller shade with fabric and motor is about $3,141, budgetary and before tax. A Lutron project prices at roughly 1.6 times the same shades on wired Somfy. The total moves with window count, size, fabric, and wired versus battery power. Instant Price gives a budget for your own windows in about two minutes, and our pricing page shows every tier.
Why does Lutron cost more than Somfy?
You are paying for the system: Hembar alignment, quieter drives, Lutron keypads, and shades that sit on the same Caséta, RadioRA 3 or HomeWorks system as the lighting. The gap widens on big battery shades: Lutron's Triathlon WIDR reaches 144 in wide, but in our quotes it costs roughly 2.5 times a standard Triathlon, which is where we often price Somfy WireFree or wired Somfy Sonesse instead. Lutron vs Somfy.
Installation, power and alignment
Can Lutron shades go into a finished home or condo without construction?
Yes. Battery-powered Palladiom, Triathlon and Serena shades need no electrician and no conduit, and in most Miami and Fort Lauderdale buildings no association construction approval. Triathlon covers standard windows (Lutron lists 19.5 to 108 in wide) on D batteries.
When do I need wired Lutron shades?
For whole-home projects, coupled shades across walls of glass, drapery tracks, recessed pockets and shades too large for batteries. Sivoia QS runs on Lutron's low-voltage QS link, so the wiring and power supplies have to be planned. In a finished room with no low-voltage wiring at the window, the power supply can end up visible, and that is when we steer toward battery shades or Somfy.
Will several Lutron shades stay level when they move together?
Yes. Intelligent Hembar Alignment reads motor speed 500 times per second and adjusts it as the roll diameter changes, so every shade in a group travels at the same bottom-bar speed and stops within 1/8 in of the others. It is included on every size and model of Sivoia QS and on Triathlon battery shades.
Battery life and noise
How long do Lutron shade batteries last?
Lutron rates Triathlon at three to five years on replaceable D batteries, assuming two up-and-down cycles a day (Lutron Application Note 561). Serena uses the same D-battery approach. Palladiom wire-free shades recharge without taking the shade down. When we replace batteries we also check alignment and limits on every shade we touch.
How quiet are Lutron motorized shades?
Lutron rates Palladiom under 35 dBA at 3 ft and Sivoia QS under 44 dBA. That is why we specify them in bedrooms and media rooms, where a client will notice a motor they can hear from the bed.
Alexa, Apple Home, Crestron and integrators
Do Lutron shades work with Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home?
Yes, through the Lutron system they belong to: Serena and Triathlon on a Caséta bridge, and every line on RadioRA 3 or HomeWorks. We program scenes and schedules so shades and lights move together.
Do Lutron shades integrate with Crestron, Control4 or Savant?
Yes. Lutron integrates with Crestron, Control4 and Savant, typically through a HomeWorks system. We are Crestron certified as well as a Lutron certified dealer, and we program the shades with your integrator or directly.
Do I need a home automation integrator to buy Lutron shades?
No. We specify, install and program Lutron shading directly, from one Serena shade on a Caséta bridge to a whole HomeWorks house, and we service it afterward. If an integrator already runs your Crestron, Control4 or Savant system, we work alongside them and hand the shades over programmed.
Sun, glass and storms
Which Lutron fabric works best against South Florida sun?
Usually a solar screen: a woven fabric with a measured openness from 0.5% to 10% that stops most of the heat and glare at the glass while the view stays visible. Lutron's library has 411 solar-screen colourways in 17 designs, each with published Tv, Ts, Rs and As figures. We use those numbers and the colour to recommend a fabric for each exposure, and add a blackout layer where a bedroom needs darkness. Lutron solar screens.
Are Lutron shades hurricane protection?
No. Interior shades control sun, glare, heat and privacy. Storm protection comes from impact glass or shutters, and we design the shades around them.
Dealer, showroom and service
Are you a certified Lutron dealer?
Yes. Exotic Shades & Draperies is a Lutron certified dealer, Crestron certified, an SDN Specialist and a Somfy Expert, with our own team for design, installation and programming.
What should I look for in a Lutron dealer?
Ask four questions. Can you see the system running before you buy? Will they put a price in writing early? Does their own team install and program it? Will they service it for years, including systems someone else installed? Our answers: Lutron shades run at both of our showrooms, our budgetary prices are published, our own team installs and programs, and service calls on Lutron systems installed by others are among the most common we get.
Where can I see Lutron shades running?
At both showrooms: Miami Beach at 500 South Pointe Dr #150, South of Fifth (by appointment), and our workroom and showroom in Fort Lauderdale at 4539 Powerline Rd. Book a visit.
Do you service Lutron shades another company installed?
Yes: batteries, reprogramming, keypad and remote pairing, and motor replacement. When a shade stops responding the usual causes, in order, are a depleted battery, a remote or keypad that lost its pairing, a hub that dropped off the network after an internet change, and more rarely a motor or limit fault. Lutron service and repair.
Can I see a fabric sample before I order?
Yes. Shortlist colours in our Lutron fabric library (921 colourways) and we order Lutron's memo samples of the ones you choose.
Where do you install Lutron shades?
Across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County: Miami, Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach and Jupiter. Our published Lutron Sivoia QS work includes Turnberry Ocean Club and the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sunny Isles Beach.
See Lutron running before you choose
Operate Palladiom, Sivoia QS and Triathlon shades at our Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale showroom, or book the free in-home consultation: we measure, bring the options, and put a written number on each one.