Re battery replacement. There are alternatives. Do you know the size of the batteries?

Jim, we've gone with lithium-ion batteries, which last somewhat longer, but we open & close these blinds a few times each day (as the sun moves through and night falls, etc.) so even they run down more quickly than hoped for.

AA batteries

https://wtkr.com/2012/10/31/dont-waste-your-money-longest-lasting-aa-batteries/

Thanks. We already are using lithium-ion, and they don't have the guts to last longer than about 5 months. We are looking for information on a retrofit to solar, or, barring that, some decent information on a reliable solar approach.

Will rechargeable batteries work?

Can YOU climb the ladder -- take turns?

Thanks for the thought.

Rechargeables won't last any longer driving the motor than lithium-ion, and I think probably less. And no, it's not prudent for me to climb the ladder, at least not any more than DH. I'm no wimp, but we are both seeing that we want to limit that kind of risk. As noted, we are looking for a good solar set up, whether retrofitted (preferred due to cost) or new (if we could find some good information as noted above).

I don't see another option given your window configuration. However, the article I posted said that all lithium batteries are not created equal. Some have 3 times the longevity of others, so take that into consideration.

If these were draperies, then you could run an electrical source to the track.

Thanks. I'm looking at full replacements, if you have recommendations. Solar powered blinds. We live simply, so we don't need anything fancy with regard to decorating.

I’m not familiar with any solar power window coverings that are on the market right now but Hunter Douglas has the option to do hardwired motorizations for PowerView shades so no more changing batteries. The challenge is you would have to get an electrician involved to run wire to each window and back to the central Large DC Power Supply panel that would power the shades. It’s definitely an option if you are looking for full replacement though.

Thanks for your input. We will NOT be running wires to these windows. That's absurd. No solar-powered blinds is also unbelievable (you are believable, we just have a hard time believing *none* exist), as they were available 5 years ago and there are retrofits out there for manual blinds. We are off to the local places today (in the bitter cold!) to see what's in the art of the possible.

Hey Barb, there are motorized blinds on the market that work with a small solar panel to increase the lifetime of a single charge of the battery pack. The newest generation of battery operating blinds also doesn't require battery replacement anymore. It is a plug and play system like you charge your iPhone or such. But out of my experience, you cannot upgrade your existing system for that. Your motor is not configured to allow recharging of the batteries while inside the roller tube.

www.PleatedBlindsStore.com

IMO if you go solar shades they do not need to be opened and shut many times a day the give good heat protection UV protection and you keep your view a win win IMO they can come morized so lokk into that but honestly the batteries should last a long time if they are not opened closed many times a day.

Check Velux.

Wondering if you ever found a solution? I have a whole house that came with HunterDouglas Powerview motorized shades, they are very nice and work well but they literally consume batteries (12 each) on a pretty much monthly basis and we don't even open and close them most days. It's ridiculous, wasteful, expensive and a huge pain in the butt because you usually realize they are dead when you go to open a window that has the blind all the way down making them hard to get to without damaging the shade. There are the rechargeable battery wands now but they are very pricey plus a charger and I have 7 windows to do. I really wish we just had basic manuals at this point or there was a way to manually operate these when they are out of battery. Replacing all the blinds isn't an option either. I can't seem to find a knockoff reasonably priced rechargeable battery wand either.