{"id":15672,"date":"2026-10-03T08:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/?p=15672"},"modified":"2026-10-07T13:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:48:03","slug":"window-actuator-24v-or-230v","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/fensterantrieb-24v-oder-230v\/","title":{"rendered":"Window drive: 24 V or 230 V? Differences and selection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Window drive 24 V or 230 V? This question comes up in almost every project with electrically operated windows, flaps or rooflights. Both voltages have their place \u2013 what matters is the application, the existing electrical installation and whether the drive will also be used for smoke and heat exhaust ventilation (SHEV). This article explains the differences and helps you choose.<\/p>\n<h2>The basic difference<\/h2>\n<p>A 230 V drive is connected directly to the normal mains supply. A 24 V drive works with extra-low voltage (direct current) and therefore needs a control unit or power supply that converts mains voltage to 24 V DC. Mechanically, the drives are often identical \u2013 many models such as the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ka\/\">VS-KA chain drive<\/a> are available in both voltage versions.<\/p>\n<h2>When does a 230 V window drive make sense?<\/h2>\n<p>230 V drives are mainly suitable for <strong>pure comfort ventilation<\/strong>, when individual windows are to be opened and closed with a push button:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Simple connection to the existing building installation, no additional power supply<\/li>\n<li>Operation directly via a ventilation push button such as the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-lt-230\/\">VS-LT 230<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lower costs for individual solutions, e.g. a single top light or roof window<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please note: work on 230 V cables may only be carried out by a qualified electrician. In addition, 230 V drives generally cannot be integrated into SHEV systems.<\/p>\n<h2>When is a 24 V window drive the better choice?<\/h2>\n<p>24 V drives are the standard in professional building services. Their advantages come into play as soon as more than one window needs to be moved or safety requirements apply:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Suitable for SHEV:<\/strong> Smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems work with 24 V DC and control panels with emergency power backup. This is the only way the windows will still open in the event of a fire with a power failure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Central control:<\/strong> Several drives can be operated together via a control unit such as the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ls7\/\">VS-C24-7A<\/a> \u2013 including wind and rain sensor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety:<\/strong> Extra-low voltage is not dangerous to people, and the cables to the drive are easier to install.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Building automation:<\/strong> Smart 24 V drives such as the <a href=\"\/en\/product\/vs-ka-i\/\">VS-KA-i<\/a> can be synchronised and integrated into the building management system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Comparison at a glance<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Criterion<\/th>\n<th>230 V<\/th>\n<th>24 V DC<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Connection<\/td>\n<td>directly to the mains<\/td>\n<td>via control unit\/power supply<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Typical use<\/td>\n<td>Comfort ventilation, single windows<\/td>\n<td>Ventilation, SHEV, building automation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Suitable for SHEV<\/td>\n<td>generally no<\/td>\n<td>yes (with SHEV control panel)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Controlling several drives together<\/td>\n<td>limited<\/td>\n<td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wind and rain sensor<\/td>\n<td>limited<\/td>\n<td>yes, via the control unit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Installation effort<\/td>\n<td>low for single solutions<\/td>\n<td>higher, but more flexible<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>What to look for when choosing<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Clarify the application:<\/strong> Should the window only ventilate, or also open as a smoke vent in the event of a fire? For SHEV there is no way around 24 V. More on this in the article <a href=\"\/en\/rwa-and-daily-ventilation\/\">SHEV and daily ventilation<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Number of windows:<\/strong> With two or more drives that need to respond together, a 24 V solution with central control is usually more economical.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Existing installation:<\/strong> If there is already a 24 V control unit or SHEV control panel in the building, new drives should match it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cable lengths:<\/strong> With 24 V DC, the cable cross-section must suit the cable length and current consumption so that the required voltage reaches the drive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Automatic operation required?<\/strong> Wind and rain sensors are usually connected to the control unit \u2013 another argument for 24 V. See also <a href=\"\/en\/ventilation-control-window-drives\/\">Ventilation control for window actuators<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Want to motorise an existing tilt window, fanlight or roof window? Find out which actuator fits in our guide <a href=\"\/en\/retrofitting-electric-window-openers\/\">Retrofitting electric window openers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>How to connect 24 V and 230 V actuators correctly is shown in the guide <a href=\"\/en\/connecting-chain-actuator\/\">Connecting a chain actuator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>For a single window used for comfort ventilation, a 230 V drive is a simple and inexpensive solution. As soon as several windows, sensors, building automation or smoke and heat exhaust come into play, a 24 V window drive with a suitable control unit is the future-proof choice. You will find an overview of all drives in our categories <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/chain-drives\/\">Chain drives<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/linear-actuators\/\">Linear actuators<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure which version suits your project? Our team will be happy to advise you \u2013 <a href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">get in touch with us<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>24 V or 230 V? When is which window drive suitable \u2013 a comparison of comfort ventilation, smoke and heat exhaust ventilation (SHEV), control systems and building automation.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":15305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1958],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lueftung-gebaeudeautomation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15672"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15820,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15672\/revisions\/15820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15672"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ventsystems.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}