Electric vs manual shutters
Electric suits most shopfronts, because manual shutters are best kept to openings up to roughly 2 m. Converting a sound manual shutter has a guide price of £495 to £895 plus VAT.
5 minute read. Last updated November 2026.
Should I choose an electric or a manual shutter?
Choose electric for most shopfronts. Manual shutters suit small openings, roughly up to 2 m, and a shutter much wider than that is heavy to lift every day. A typical single shop unit sits in our up to 3 m band, so it is usually at or above that width. That is why our standard shutter prices are for electric shutters.
| Manual | Electric | |
|---|---|---|
| Operation | Lifted by hand, often from a bottom lock at pavement level | Key switch, push button or remote |
| Wearing parts | Springs, guides, locks | Motor, springs or brake, guides, controls |
| Power cut | Unaffected | Needs a manual override, unless it opens by itself |
| Needs a power supply | No | Yes, at the head of the opening |
| Best fit | Small openings, low-use side doors | Daily-use shopfronts |
How many times will a shop shutter run in a year?
A shop that trades six days a week raises and lowers its shutter 624 times a year: 6 days, 52 weeks and 2 movements a day. Count your own pattern, because every movement is a job for someone's back or for the motor.
| Trading pattern | Movements a day | Movements a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days a week | 2 | 520 |
| 6 days a week | 2 | 624 |
| 7 days a week | 2 | 728 |
| 7 days, closed for a lunchtime break | 4 | 1456 |
At these numbers the choice is about the people doing it as much as the machine. Staff lifting a heavy manual curtain in the rain, early in the morning, bending to a bottom lock on the pavement, is the job an electric shutter removes. Your own risk assessment should cover this if staff do the lifting.
What happens to an electric shutter in a power cut?
An electric shutter should still open by hand in a power cut, because regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says a powered door must be operable manually where that is needed for health or safety, unless it opens automatically when the power fails.
HSE's Approved Code of Practice, L24, adds that any tools needed for manual opening must be readily available. For a shop that means three things:
- Confirm that the shutter has a manual override, and which type.
- Keep the override tool where staff can reach it, and not in the van.
- Show staff how the maker's instructions say to use it.
Our motor replacement, at a fixed price of £395 plus VAT, includes the manual override. If your shutter will not move, read what to do when a shutter will not open before touching anything.
What safety devices does the law expect on a shutter?
Regulation 18 requires any upward-opening door to have a device that stops it falling back, and any powered door to have features that stop it trapping a person. These rules apply to workplaces in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own Workplace Regulations from 1993, and the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) says their content is identical.
| Requirement | Manual shutter | Electric shutter |
|---|---|---|
| Must not fall back | Yes. L24 gives a counterbalance or ratchet as examples | Yes |
| Must not trap people | Not a powered door, so this limb does not apply | Yes. L24 lists a sensitive edge or detector, a limit on closing force, or in some low-risk cases a hold-to-run control |
| Stop control | Not applicable | Where necessary, an easily identified control to stop it quickly |
| Manual operation | Already manual | Where necessary for safety, unless it opens when power fails |
| Regular maintenance | Yes, under regulation 5 | Yes, under regulation 5 |
L24 also says new powered doors must meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 before first use. Ask for the maker's documents and keep them with your premises file.
Can a manual shutter be converted to electric?
Yes, if the shutter is sound: a conversion has a guide price of £495 to £895 plus VAT for the motor, controls and limit setting. Once it is powered, it has to meet the rules for powered doors, including protection against trapping.
Convert only if the shutter passes these checks:
- The curtain runs straight, with no bent or missing laths.
- The guides are firmly fixed and not distorted.
- The barrel and end plates are sound, with no heavy corrosion.
- The box or head gives access to fit and service a motor.
- A power supply can reach the head.
- The shutter is not so old that replacement parts have stopped being made.
If it fails on two or more of these, compare the conversion with a new shutter. A new solid electric shutter up to 3 m wide has a guide price of £1,450 to £1,995 plus VAT. We check all of this before quoting, so you do not pay to motorise a curtain that needs replacing.
What does an electric shutter need from the building?
An electric shutter needs a power supply at the head of the opening and room at one end of the barrel for the motor. A tubular motor sits inside the barrel, so it adds little to the size of the box, but it still needs an engineer to reach it.
Plan the cable route early. On a new frontage it can run behind the fascia and out of sight. On a retrofit it may need to come through the head or down a guide, and that can show from inside the shop. A clear means of switching off the supply makes servicing safer.
What controls does an electric shop shutter need?
A key switch beside the opening is the simplest control, and it means the person closing the shutter can see it move. A remote lets staff operate it from a vehicle or from inside, which helps at night but means they may not see the whole opening.
A hold-to-run control keeps the shutter moving only while the button is held. L24 accepts this in some low-risk cases. A shutter that closes by itself after a single press needs a higher level of protection, such as a safety edge. We specify this at survey, based on who uses the pavement and how the shop opens.
Get a guide figure from the quote tool, or contact us about converting a manual shutter.
Common questions
Is a manual shutter cheaper to run?
A manual shutter has no motor or controls to wear out, but it still has springs, guides and locks that need maintenance. Regulation 5 applies to both.
How much does it cost to convert a manual shutter to electric?
A conversion of a sound manual shutter has a guide price of £495 to £895 plus VAT, covering the motor, controls and limit setting.
Can I open an electric shutter if the motor fails?
Usually by the manual override, if one is fitted. Follow the maker's instructions and never touch springs or other tensioned parts.
Do I need an electrician for an electric shutter?
The shutter needs a power supply at the head of the opening. We check this at survey and show who provides it on the quotation.
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