Every louvered pergola we sell protects you the same way: waterproof when closed, ventilating when open, engineered for storm-force wind. The choice between a manual and an electric roof is not about protection — it is about how you will use the roof day to day, what you want connected to it, and how the installation should go. This guide lays out the honest case for each, the practical differences that surprise people, and a decision framework you can apply to your own terrace in five minutes.
How each system works
A manual roof, like the one on the Pergola Piano, is operated with a removable crank handle. Hook it in, turn, and the louvers sweep smoothly from fully open (115°) to fully closed. The gearing is optimised so the effort is minimal — comparable to winding an awning, but faster, because the louvers only rotate rather than travel. There is no motor, no wiring, no electronics anywhere in the system.
An electric roof — the Pergola Equa and Pergola Equa — replaces the crank with a whisper-quiet motor driven by a radio remote control. Press and hold, and the louvers glide to exactly the angle you want. The motors are purpose-built for louvered systems: slow, strong and nearly silent, engineered for decades of daily cycles.
The case for manual
- No power needed — anywhere. No cable runs across the garden, no outdoor sockets, no electrician on the project plan. If your dream spot for a pergola is at the far end of the garden, next to the pond, or anywhere power isn't, the manual roof simply doesn't care.
- Nothing to go wrong. A purely mechanical system has no electronics to age, no remote to lose, no firmware, no fuse. For a structure that stands outside in all weather for twenty years, that simplicity is a genuine engineering virtue, not a budget compromise.
- Fastest installation. The pergola is fully operational the moment the last bolt is tightened — typically 3 to 5 hours for a standard size with two people. No follow-up electrician visit, no waiting.
- Best price. The Piano is the most cost-efficient way into a genuine louvered roof, and the money saved funds a side screen or good furniture.
The honest limitations: adjusting means standing up and turning a crank for a few seconds — trivial, but it means you'll adjust a handful of times a day rather than constantly. The Piano's range covers 10' × 10' to 10' × 16'; the really large formats are electric territory. And LED lighting is an optional add-on kit rather than built in.
The case for electric
- You will actually use the roof more. This is the under-appreciated point. When adjustment takes two seconds from your chair, you do it constantly — a few degrees as the sun moves, closed at the first drops, open again after. The roof becomes something you play, and the terrace is always in its best state. With a crank, human nature settles for "good enough" positions.
- Integrated LED lighting comes with it. Because the system is wired anyway, both electric models include warm-white LED built into the roof frame, on the same remote. Dinner doesn't end at dusk, and no separate lighting project is needed.
- The large formats live here. The Equa runs to 13' × 19' across nine sizes, including the in-between 11' widths. On 200+ sq ft of roof, motorised operation stops being a luxury and becomes the only practical way to use the louvers as intended.
- Comfort in bad moments. A squall at the end of dinner: one button closes the roof while everyone stays seated. The same moment with a crank works fine — but one of you is standing in the first rain.
The honest limitations: it costs more, it needs a 230 V connection, and installation is a bigger day — plan a full day with three people, plus a short visit from an electrician for the fixed wiring.
What about the wiring, exactly?
The requirement is modest and worth demystifying. The motor and LED system run from a standard 230 V supply — the same as any garden socket circuit. The connection point is at one post, and the cable route is usually a short buried run from the house or an existing outdoor point. We recommend the fixed connection be made by a qualified electrician; it is typically an hour's visit. After that, everything — louvers and lighting — lives on the remote, and consumption is negligible: the motor runs seconds at a time, and LED sips power.
Wall-mounted pergolas often have the easiest time here, since the house wiring is right there. For freestanding pergolas deep in a garden, weigh the cable run honestly — if trenching a long run annoys you, that is a genuine point for the manual Piano.
Reliability and weather
Both systems are engineered for permanent outdoor exposure, and both carry the same structural ratings: wind to 110 km/h, waterproof when closed. The electronics on the electric models are sealed against weather and the motors are rated for outdoor life; you get a 2-year warranty on the motor unit and electronics, alongside the 5-year warranty on the aluminum structure that applies across the range (the Piano's crank mechanism carries the same 2-year mechanical warranty). Winter behaviour is identical: in heavy snowfall, tilt the louvers vertical — a few crank turns or one button — and the snow falls through.
A five-minute decision framework
Answer these honestly:
- Is there sensible access to 230 V where the pergola will stand? No → Piano, decision made. Yes → continue.
- Roof area over ~160 sq ft, or dreaming of 13-foot depth? Yes → electric (the Equa covers every format up to 13' × 19').
- Will you sit under it most days and fuss over comfort? Yes → electric; the two-second adjustment genuinely changes usage. Weekend-and-guests terrace → manual is plenty.
- Is evening use with lighting part of the picture? Yes → electric models include it; on the Piano add the LED kit.
- Is the budget the binding constraint? The Piano delivers 100% of the weather protection at the best price — spend the difference on a side screen, which adds more comfort per euro than any upgrade.
The short version
Choose the manual Piano for maximum reliability at the best price, terraces without convenient power, and straightforward sizes. Choose the electric Equa if you'll adjust often, want lighting built in, or need the larger formats. There is no wrong answer between them — only a wrong match to how you actually live outside.
Still unsure? The 1-minute quiz narrows it down to a specific model, size and color, every product page carries the full side-by-side comparison table, and a free quote puts a pergola expert on the case with you.