With the BREL HOME motor, electric operation suddenly became easy.

Just like the rest of the sunshade industry, BREL HOME has noticed that they are on the 'right side' of the pandemic. “When more money is spent on the home, consumers are more likely to choose electrically operated indoor sunshades.

Consumers increasingly desire a Smart Home. So controlling indoor and outdoor sunshades with an electric motor combined with a HUB is part of that. The percentage of sunshades equipped with an electric motor has been increasing for several years. We see this reflected in our sales. The electric motor combined with a HUB is truly a trend of today.”

The Early Years of BREL HOME

BREL HOME has been around for 11 years now, but the BREL motor has been a market player for much longer. Since 2005, Reinoud, who then had a sunshade production company, had already implemented the BREL motor in his range. In 2010, Reinoud and Erik started the company BREL HOME together. A wholesale business for motors in outdoor sunshades. They saw opportunities in the market, which was then dominated by one player. In 2012, they decided to also enter the window decoration market, considering Erik's background and 12 years of knowledge in that field. A year later, BREL HOME introduced the first battery motor for indoor sunshades. “A decisive step,” Erik notes, because: “That established our name. That product got us into the market.” And it certainly is a great product. “No cord needed, you see nothing. Installers in indoor sunshades are often afraid of electricity, not everyone understands it. With our battery motor, it suddenly became easy.”

Installing Without Hassle

“What does the sunshade installer enjoy? Hanging sunshades. But that usually doesn't apply to hiding cable ducts or drilling holes in the wall and hoping the plaster doesn't come off. The nice thing about the BREL HOME concept is: the battery is in the motor, so you no longer have external parts. That makes it very easy to install. So installers are, of course, very happy with this. Moreover, the industry doesn't have a surplus of good installers, so they will be especially pleased that they can install quickly.” Will this easy installation method lead to more consumers doing it themselves? BREL HOME doesn't think so: “The average consumer doesn't feel like installing themselves. Maybe a few more people will do it themselves. But the customer still wants advice, usually goes to the specialist, and has everything installed.”

A Custom Motor

Although starting with standard motors for outdoor sunshades, BREL HOME made its name with their battery motors for indoor sunshades. “We are truly a motor specialist. We create a custom motor for every indoor sunshade supplier. The outdoor sunshade market is standardized, but in indoor sunshades, everyone has their own system. We ensure the motor always fits. With our 3D printers, we have succeeded in this.“ Once 'in' the roller blind market, expansion followed with motors for Roman blinds, Venetian blinds, and for shutters and heavy wooden Venetian blinds. “You need a relatively heavier motor for that, which we then also started using for screens. Once we had a strong position in the market with the battery motors for indoor sunshades, we began taking our next steps for outdoor sunshades.” In recent years, the outdoor sunshade segment has also seen significant growth. “We have been using our first successful motor for outdoor sunshades for about six years now. With a special solar panel, which you simply place on the shutter or screen. You don't see it, and it charges the battery. We now also have a heavier motor for heavier outdoor sunshades, like shutters.”

The Lifespan of the BREL HOME Battery Motor

“We have been making battery motors for indoor sunshades since 2013. Over the past years, we have sold over 150,000 battery motors. But we can't yet make statements about a 20-year period. Endurance tests with batteries are generally difficult, but we do know that our motors for indoor sunshades still perform excellently after seven years. For outdoor sunshades, we know it's still the same after a few years. We also offer a three-year warranty on our battery motors. If we compare it to, for example, Tesla batteries, the same batteries as in our motors, we know they are still good after 450,000 km. After five years, they still have 80% of their capacity. I'm not saying our battery motor achieves exactly the same, but it does indicate that these batteries are much better than often thought.”

And have we ever had problems with our motors? Of course, but then it was about the software, for example, or the charging point. Never about the battery itself. It always works flawlessly,” says Reinoud Arts. Erik Budding adds: “We supply to big names, who are guaranteed to be critical. They wouldn't buy from us if the motor didn't work perfectly. That indicates that our motors are excellent.” Then the rest of the market followed. It is genuinely a great product that performs well. Not only in the Netherlands but also internationally. BREL HOME supplies to many companies across the border.”

The Smart Motors of BREL HOME

BREL HOME has its own app. Arts: “We actually had it quite quickly. Back then, everyone said ‘not necessary at all, a remote control is enough.’ Now, of course, more parties have such an app. All our indoor sunshade motors are bi-directional, which means you can see on your screen what the position of the controlled sunshade is. With scenarios, we can control everything. Other major manufacturers have not yet realized this feedback for indoor sunshades. We can, and especially when controlling and positioning the slat position of Venetian blinds, it is very handy and essential. If you want the blind 80% down and the slats 60% open, you can do that with the smart motors of BREL HOME.

The next novelty on the agenda is the wifi motor. “You no longer control it purely with a remote control, but with an app. No HUB needed anymore. You download the app, and you can immediately control the indoor sunshade from your phone. Besides your phone, you really don't need anything else. And you can link it with Alexa, Google, and Siri. This makes it possible to control your sunshade from any location.” Initially, this novelty is intended for outdoor sunshades. “Because you need 230-volt motors. Wifi uses a lot of energy, so you can't control it with a battery. For now, it's too heavy for indoor sunshades, which run on 12-volt motors, then your battery would be drained in no time. That's why we're starting with outdoor, but eventually, indoor sunshades will surely also be controlled via wifi.”