To measure for electric pleated blinds, you will need to measure the width and drop of either of:

- The recess: If you wish to install your electric pleated blind within a recess. We call this recess size and we will make deductions from this size so that it fits within the recess.

- The blind: If you are fitting your blind outside of the recess and/or you know exactly what size you'd like your blind to be, then measure the area that you'd like the blind to cover. We call this exact blind size. We'll not make any deductions from this size. If fixing outside of the recess, we recommend that your blind overlaps each of the four sides of the recess by at least 50 mm, where possible.

Our helpful tips:
We'd recommend measuring the width and the drop in three places and submitting the smallest of each size. We'd also recommend:

- Measure twice buy once! Take your time and check your measurements to avoid submitting the incorrect sizes.

- Use a steel rule or laser measure! Reliable measurements can be obtained using metal tape measures or laser measuring devices. 

- Many hands make light work! Especially on larger openings, we'd recommend getting a helping hand to measure up. A second person to hold the other end of the measuring tape, take notes and check measurements.

For a full explanation of how to take your sizes, please download our Measuring Guide (PDF).

When the blind is fully raised, we call the combined height of the headrail, fabric and hem bar, the stack height.

You can see the dimensions of the headrail and hem bar of an electric pleated blind in the diagram to the left, as shown from the side. 

• The headrail is 27mm deep and 35mm high. 
• The hem bar is 22mm deep and 16mm high.
• The fabric, when the blind is fully raised, will be approximately 25mm high for every 1 metre of blind height.

Here are some examples.

Example 1: Blind Size: 1000mm width x 1000mm height

• Headrail: 35mm High
• Hem bar: 16mm High
• Fabric: 25mm High (approximately)
• Stack Height: 35+16+25mm = 76mm

Example 2: Blind Size: 1000mm x 3000mm height

• Headrail: 35mm High
• Hem bar: 16mm High
• Fabric: 3 x 25mm = 75mm High (approximately)
• Stack Height: 35+16+75mm = 126mm

The maximum height of an electric pleated blind is 3000mm (or 3m) so, the maximum stack size is 126mm.

Radio-operated pleated blinds have 12vDC motors. This means there are several ways in which they can be powered:

No Power Supply: Please only select this option if you are supplying your own compatible SOMFY battery pack or SOMFY plug-in power supply. Otherwise, no power supply means your blind won't operate :-)

External Battery Pack: This is a simple sealed cell 'block' style rechargeable battery unit, which is connected to the motor cable using a male/female connector. This can be mounted within the recess close to the motor, in a location that suits your installation. We'd normally recommend it being installed behind the headrail. Of course, battery life will depend on the frequency of operation and size of the blind you have purchased. The external battery pack can be charged from a 3-pin plug using a charger.

External Battery Pack + Solar Panel: The battery pack can also be trickle-charged with a solar pack, which can be mounted in the window behind the headrail of the blind to harvest the sun's energy. We would still recommend purchasing a charger if you purchase a solar pack, since there may be times of year where levels of direct sunlight are not sufficient to keep the battery charged.

3-Pin Plug-in Power Supply: The 3-pin plug-in power supply can be plugged into a nearby 3-pin mains plug socket, with the other end of the cable being connected to the motor cable using a male-female connection. This is ideal for those who prefer not to need to recharge battery packs and who have a 3-pin plug socket in close proximity to the blind, for example, within the recess itself. In order to function the blind must be connected to the power. So please consider how you will handle any trailing cabling as this will be required to be permanently in place.

Yes, you can power your electric pleated blind using mains power via a plug-in power supply. These can be added to your order during the configuration of your blind. The power supply plugs into a standard 3-pin mains plug socket. The cable for the power supply plugs into a male-female connector cable at the blind headrail. You should consider how you will conceal/manage any trailing cable between the plug socket and the blind.

Having said the above, one of the great benefits of our electric pleated blinds is that they do not necessarily require mains power. They can be powered using an external battery pack which can be mounted behind the headrail of the blind. This battery pack can also be trickle charged using an optional solar panel which can be positioned in the window behind the blind headrail to harvest the sun's energy.

Our blinds incorporate SOMFY radio-operated (RTS) motors and they can be operated with your choice of SOMFY Situo handsets and SOMFY Smoove wireless wall switches:

1 Channel 'Situo 1' Handset: A handset with a single channel for controlling one blind or one group of blind simultaneously

5 Channel 'Situo 5' Handset: A handset with 5 channels. Usually, channels 1 to 4 are each used to control a single blind or a group of blinds in unison. Channel 5 is used as an "ALL" channel.

Smoove 1 Wireless Wall Switch: A square wireless wall switch with an integrated frame and a single channel, for controlling one blind or one group of blinds simultaneously

Smoove 4 Wireless Wall Switch: A square wireless wall switch with an integrated frame and four channels. Each channel can control one blind individually or one group of blinds simultaneously

The above controllers can be added to your order during the configuration of your blind.

Each handset or wall switch has an UP button, a DOWN button and a MY button. The up button on your handset or wall switch will take the blind to the upper limit. The down button will take the blind to the lower limit. And the MY button will stop the blind during travel.

By pressing and holding the MY button, you can save the current position as a favourite intermediate position. Once configured, pressing the MY button takes the blind to that position.

Blinds will be delivered pre-programmed with upper and lower limits and paired to your choice of handset or wall switch. So they will work 'out of the box' once correctly installed.

If you prefer to operate your blinds using an app or voice using Alexa or Google Home. We have a couple of great SOMFY hubs here. You will still need a handset though. For Smart Home integration we have bridge devices here.

No programming is required. Our electric pleated blinds are programmed with upper and lower limits in the factory, and they will also be paired with your choice of handset. So once they are installed, they will work 'out of the box'. 

The up button on your handset or wall switch will take the blind to the upper limit. The down button will take the blind to the lower limit. And the MY button will stop the blind during travel.

You may wish to configure an intermediate position - i.e. a favourite position between the pre-set upper and lower limits. You can do this by using the up, down and my buttons to take the blind to your preferred position.

Once the blind is stopped in this position, press and hold the MY button until the blind shunts. This shunt indicates that the intermediate position has been saved. This means that by tapping the MY button when the blind is stationary, the blind will move to this saved intermediate position automatically.

Yes, electric pleated blinds can be operated using a smart home system. There are several options here:

1) SOMFY TaHoMa or SOMFY Connectivity Kit: SOMFY have their own low-cost smart home systems which can operate any SOMFY RTS-enabled device along with a host of other items including lighting, appliances etc. manufactured by other brands. This allows your blinds to be controlled from a mobile app or web interface.

2) Alexa and Google Home: Again, by pairing your blinds with SOMFY TaHoMa or SOMFY Connectivity Kit, you can also control your blinds by voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

3) Other Smart Home Systems: You can control your blinds using any smart home system that has RS485 or RS232 outputs using the SOMFY RS485 RTS Transmitter. This has 16 channels, so it allows control of 16 individual blinds or 16 groups of blinds. For smaller projects, if your smart home system has dry contact (low voltage) outputs, then we can suggest the Dry Contact RTS Transmitter, which is a single-channel bridge. This bridge will allow control of 1 blind or 1 group of blinds simultaneously. Examples of smart home systems that can use these methods are Control4, Crestron and RAKO. We'd recommend consulting with your smart home installer or supplier to confirm compatibility.

Dust and any loose debris can be removed from an electric pleated blind using a soft brush nozzle of a vacuum cleaner, a clean soft brush, or with compressed air. Gently clean the fabric using a sponge, a soft brush or cloth. Do not use any abrasive substances which may damage the fabric. Leave the blind down until it is completely dry.

The minimum sizes for an electric pleated blind are:

• 375mm width
• 200mm drop

This makes them ideal for very small or narrow windows.

The maximum sizes for an electric pleated blind are:

• 3000mm width
• 3048mm drop

This makes them the perfect extra-wide blind for larger windows or even patio, sliding and bi-fold doors. 

If your window opening is wider than 3000mm, then you can always install two or more blinds side-by-side, leaving a nominal gap between the blinds. The honeycomb fabric runs the full width of the electric pleated blind headrail, meaning that you can ensure coverage of any recess with minimal light gaps on either side of the blinds or between adjacent blinds.

Yes, we do offer matching electric roof lantern and skylight blinds. When configuring your blind, you will notice that you can select 'Window Type'. You are currently looking at free-hanging electric pleated blinds for windows and doors. Many of our customers ask if it is possible to buy matching blinds for their horizontal roof lanterns or pitched skylights. By selecting "Skylight or Roof Lantern", you will be taken to the skylight or roof lantern blind with the matching fabric.

You can see the dimensions of the headrail and hem bar of an electric pleated blind in the diagram below, as shown from the side. 

• The headrail is 27mm deep and 35mm high. 
• The hem bar is 22mm deep and 16mm high.
• The fabric, when the blind is fully raised, will be approximately 25mm high for every 1 metre of blind height.

The maximum height of an electric pleated blind is 3000mm (or 3m) so, the maximum height from top to bottom of the blind when fully raised 126 mm.

You may also wish to consider the following:

• If you intend to power your blind with a battery pack, you will need to mount the battery pack near to the headrail of the blind, usually behind. So you should allow space for this.
• If you also intend to trickle charge your battery pack with a solar panel, this will need to be mounted in the window behind the blind. 
• If you intend to face-fix your blind, the headrail, once mounted on the bracket, will project 35mm from the fixing surface.

If you select a SOMFY Li-ion battery pack to power your electric pleated blind, then you will need to consider where to position the battery pack. The dimensions of the battery pack are below

Dimensions: 250mm long x 24mm high x 25mm wide
Supply cable length 15cm

The battery pack is supplied with screw-fix mounting clips and the battery itself has a 15cm long supply cable. We would normally suggest mounting the battery behind the headrail of the blind.

If you select a SOMFY Li-ion battery pack to power your electric pleated blind along with a solar panel to trickle charge it, then the solar pack will need to be positioned in your window, in direct sunlight so that it can harvest the sun's energy. The dimensions of the solar pack are below. It is supplied with wall-mount clips and adhesive tapes to allow window mounting.

Dimensions: 301mm x 40mm x 11mm (WxHxD)
Includes: 1 x Solar panel, wall mount clips, adhesive tape, and alcohol wipes.

Yes, electric pleated blinds are suitable for doors as well as windows. They have a maximum size of 3 metres width and 3 metres drop, which makes them ideal for larger doors such as patio, sliding or bi-fold doors. 

They should be installed within the recess or face fixed around the recess, rather than to the door itself. You should leave enough space behind the blind so that the operation of the blind is not obstructed by door handles or moving or sliding panels.

You should also take care not to position items of furniture or decorative items on the floor within the door recess. These may prevent the blind from automatically lowering, especially if you intend to operate your blinds remotely or on a timed schedule.

Of course, if your door opens inwards, then you should consider whether installing a blind at the door is a good solution as it may prevent the door from opening. The door may also obstruct the operation of the blind itself. For inward-opening doors, you may wish to consider installing manually operated 'no drill' Perfect Fit honeycomb blinds, which can be installed directly against the glass panel of the door, therefore moving with the door when it is opened and closed.

You should also consider whether a door acts as a main mode of entry and exit to the property and consider whether having a blind fitted within the door recess would prevent quick and safe access to the door. Again Perfect Fit Blinds, which are installed directly against the glass of the door panel are a good solution for access doors, where you wish to manage light, glare, heat and privacy.

Electric pleated blinds are ideal for larger doors, such as patio or bi-fold doors, which do not act as the sole point of entrance to or exit from the property. These larger doors are often a source of excess glare and heat gain. And during darker nights, privacy may become a concern. So having the ability to automatically close a large single electric pleated blind to manage glare, heat and privacy is a great solution!

If your recess is larger than 3 metres in width, then consider fixing two or more blinds side-by-side. Electric pleated blinds are a great solution for this application. The fabric runs the full width of the headrail. So installing blinds side by side, with a nominal gap, leaves very little light gap between the blinds, which is perfect for maximum coverage and privacy and minimal light ingress!