Motorized Shade Cost by System: Essential vs Somfy vs Lutron
One 72 by 84 inch motorized roller shade, fabric and motor included, runs about $733 on our Essential tier, $793 on Somfy WireFree, $1,910 on wired Somfy with its power panel and $3,141 on Lutron. Exotic Shades & Draperies publishes these figures and quotes all four side by side in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, budgetary and before tax.
The motor system moves the price more than the fabric
Four systems, four price levels. Essential is our value tier on Dooya rechargeable motors. Somfy WireFree is the Sonesse rechargeable motor most of our projects plan around. Wired Somfy is the Sonesse 50 low-voltage system with a power panel, so it never needs charging. Lutron is the wired system with its panel and the control architecture that HomeWorks, RadioRA 3 and integrator-driven homes are built on; in our engine it prices at roughly 1.6 times wired Somfy.
The figures below are the same ones our pricing page publishes and our written quotes use, for the same shade in the same fabric. Size brackets, fabric and details such as coupled shades move each column; the ratio between the columns stays about the same.
Typical projects, four systems
| Project | Essential (Dooya, rechargeable) | Somfy WireFree (rechargeable) | Somfy wired (Sonesse 50 + panel) | Lutron (wired + panel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One window, 72 in wide x 84 in tall, motorized roller shade, fabric and motor included | about $733 | about $793 | about $1,910 | about $3,141 |
| One oversized window, 96 in x 108 in | about $918 | about $978 | about $2,095 | about $3,445 |
| A living-room wall: three openings at 96 in x 120 in | about $2,860 | about $3,040 | about $4,511 | about $7,418 |
| A main floor: five bedroom-size windows plus one 14-foot slider (two coupled shades) | about $5,938 | about $6,358 | about $9,088 | about $14,947 |
| A whole main level: eight motorized shades | about $6,687 | about $7,167 | about $10,073 | about $16,566 |
Budgetary planning figures, before tax, generated by the quote engine behind our written quotes, September 2026. Essential and Somfy WireFree are rechargeable-battery motors with their remote; the wired Somfy and Lutron columns include the low-voltage power panel. Openings wider than 144 in are priced as two coupled shades. Exact pricing follows the free in-home measure.
What each system is, in the maker's own numbers
| Essential | Somfy WireFree | Somfy wired | Lutron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor | Dooya rechargeable battery motor | Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree RTS: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, 2 Nm lifting capacity, 42 dB rated noise level | Somfy Sonesse 50 on a 24 V low-voltage power panel | Sivoia QS wired, or Triathlon on replaceable D batteries (Lutron: three to five years); Palladiom for exposed rollers |
| Power | Recharge with the supplied cable | Recharge with the supplied cable; no wiring, no panel | Panel and low-voltage wiring, planned before drywall | Panel and wiring, or D batteries on Triathlon |
| Control | Remote; optional hub for app control | Somfy RTS remote (433.42 MHz, 656 ft open-field range); TaHoma app, voice through TaHoma | RTS remotes, TaHoma, or integration through Crestron and Control4 | Pico remotes, Lutron app, keypads; native in Caséta, RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks; Alexa, Google and Apple Home through the Lutron bridge or processor |
| Fits best | Straightforward rooms, rentals, first motorized shades | Finished condos, retrofits, most residential projects | Larger projects and new construction where charging is unwelcome | Estates, integrator-run homes, projects where lighting and shading share one system |
Somfy figures from the Somfy Systems product page for the Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree RTS Li-ion (the current version of the Sonesse 30 WireFree). Lutron battery life and system compatibility from lutron.com. Essential is our own tier assembled on Dooya motors.
Five things move the number
Size brackets
Shade hardware prices by width and drop brackets, not by the inch. A 71 in window and a 72 in window price the same; an 84 in window steps up a bracket. We price per opening from real measurements.
Fabric
A performance solar screen such as Mermet E Screen, a light-filtering weave or a full blackout each carries its own cost, and a dual shade carries two. We fabricate in-house, so designer fabrics do not pass through a middleman markup.
Motor brand
The four columns above. Somfy delivers most of the premium motorized experience at the lower figure; Lutron buys the system that architects and integrators specify. We are certified on both and quote both.
Power
Rechargeable motors need no wiring and no panel, which is why they dominate condo work. Wired low-voltage systems never need charging and suit new construction; the panel is a line item those columns include.
Details
Recessed pockets that hide everything but the fabric, coupled shades across a 14-foot slider, drapery layered over solar shades: quoted openly, per opening.
Drapery tracks
A 12-foot motorized drapery track with a rechargeable motor, remote and installation is about $1,452 on our track calculator; the same track with a smart-hub motor, ceiling mount and lined drapery from our workroom is about $2,833. Custom sheers price at $95 per linear foot of width.
Where these figures come from
- Exotic Shades & Draperies published pricing, figures from our own quote engine, budgetary and before tax, September 2026.
- Somfy Systems, Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree RTS Li-ion product page - 2 Nm, 42 dB, RTS 433.42 MHz, 656.2 ft range.
- Lutron, Triathlon shades and blinds (lutron.com) - D batteries, three to five years.
- Lutron, Sivoia motorized shades, blinds and drapery (lutron.com) - QS wired and Clear Connect wireless, HomeWorks and RadioRA 3.
- Motor tier definitions (Essential, Somfy WireFree, wired Somfy, Lutron) are Exotic Shades & Draperies' own quoting structure.
Frequently asked
How much does one motorized shade cost in South Florida?
As a planning figure from our quote engine, a 72 by 84 inch motorized roller shade with fabric and motor runs about $733 on our Essential tier, about $793 on Somfy WireFree, about $1,910 on a wired Somfy system with its power panel, and about $3,141 on Lutron. Budgetary and before tax.
Why is Lutron so much more than Somfy?
Lutron hardware carries the premium of its control ecosystem: whisper-quiet motors, the Palladiom and Sivoia lines, and native integration with HomeWorks and RadioRA 3. In our engine the same project prices at roughly 1.6 times the wired Somfy figure. Somfy delivers superb quiet motorization at the lower figure; Lutron buys the system architects and integrators specify.
Are rechargeable motors cheaper than wired?
Yes, because they need no power panel and no wiring. Somfy WireFree prices about $60 above our Essential tier on a single window and well below the wired Somfy column. The cost of a wired system is the panel and the electrician's rough-in, which is why it belongs in new construction and larger projects.
Do the figures include installation?
They are complete budgetary numbers for the configuration shown: fabric, motorization and control as listed, before tax. Measurement, fabrication, installation and programming are all done by our own team, and the written quote itemizes everything.
How much do eight motorized shades cost?
A whole main level of eight motorized roller shades comes in around $6,687 on Essential, $7,167 on Somfy WireFree, $10,073 on wired Somfy and $16,566 on Lutron in our published examples. Your exact windows go through the instant price tool or a free consultation.
Which system should I pick?
A finished condo or a retrofit usually lands on Somfy WireFree. New construction and larger homes lean to wired Somfy. Homes with Lutron lighting, or projects run by an integrator, are built on Lutron. Essential is the right answer when the budget rules and the rooms are straightforward. We quote them side by side so the decision is yours.
Weigh it in your own light
Bring a floor plan or a window list, or book the free in-home consultation - we bring the samples, measure, and put a written number on each option.