Manual Vs. Motorized Awnings: The Pros and Cons

20 Feb 2019 Samantha Munoz

When choosing an awning you are presented with a true dilemma: motorized or manual retraction. Each one has distinct advantages over the other, so it can be a hard decision to make. Here is a pro and con list for the two types of awnings that will hopefully help you decide which style is better suited to your home.

Pros

Manual:

• Cost: Manual awnings cost less than their motorized counterpart. The lack of complexity with automatic retraction and an electric motor greatly reduce the cost of an awning.
• Less Maintenance: Electric awnings can get jammed, stuck, or overworked. While a manual awning can also get stuck a motorized awning may need expensive electric repairs to get working again after years of use.

Automatic:

• Home Value: A motorized awning is very desirable, especially to potential home buyers. Having a motorized awning installed can increase the value of your home more than a manual awning.
• Convenience: Being able to retract or extend an awning with a push of a button is far more convenient than pulling it out by hand.

Cons

Manual:

• Less Convenient: Having to manually extend or retract an awning can be a hassle. If a storm begins the awning will need to be retracted and retracting an awning during a storm is not fun.

Automatic:

• Expense: An automatic awning will cost more than a hand-crank equivalent. While it may be worth the cost in the long run, it still has a high initial cost of installation.

Deciding which type of awning to install can be difficult, but it does not have to be. After consulting the pros and cons of each it can be easy to decide which type of awning is a better choice for your home.