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  • When you look into installing rooflights in your home, you probably have a few questions that you want the answers to before you make your purchase. This is completely understandable, and we are always happy to help. Here, we have collected several the most common rooflight questions, so make sure you look through these to see if the answer to your query is covered.

    If there is anything else you want to know about rooflights, installations and more, call our sales team on 01379 658 333 and they will be able to talk through your requirements with you. There is also the FAQ section on our website which deals with any issues relating to your rooflight purchase.

     

    What is a Rooflight?

    There are a few different meanings to the word rooflight, but it is usually a glazed unit installed on a flat roof, or sometimes out of plane on a pitched roof.

    You would normally use an upstand or kerb system to support the rooflight and act as a surface for any weathering to be fixed to. On a flat roof system, the upstand is high enough to ensure that the rooflight remains watertight.

    Rooflights and roof windows are often used to describe similar products, but from a Building Regulations perspective they are slightly different, you can download our informative guide to rooflights and roof windows to find out more.

     

    What are the Benefits of a Rooflight?

    Rooflights allow more natural light to flood into your home, which reduces your need to use artificial light. This saves money on your electricity bills and can also help to improve your mental and physical health. There is a direct connection between natural light and an increase in vitamin D consumption and improved moods.

     

    How Energy Efficient are Rooflights?

    Customers are increasingly concerned about the energy efficiency of the rooflights they install. The U-value is a measure of how much heat loss there is through a rooflight, and the lower the value, the more efficient it is. This means that, in winter, you need a low U-value rooflight to ensure you do not lose too much heat and have to turn the heating up, wasting energy.

    All of our rooflights have their U-value marked next to the product information to allow you to make an informed decision on the correct rooflight for you. The modern, high quality rooflights that we provide are all excellent when it comes to energy efficiency, which not only helps you save on your bills, but also cuts down your carbon footprint.

     

    How Can I Ensure I Am Buying a Quality Rooflight?

    We are extremely confident in the quality of the products that we supply. We offer a two-year warranty on all rooflights as standard. In addition, you can extend this to ten years when you have your rooflight installed by Glazing Vision. This backs up the confidence we have in our products and the quality that they bring to your home. You can rest assured; you are making the right purchase when you buy from us. Full warranty terms are available on our website.

     

    How Safe and Secure are Rooflights?

    Our rooflights meet a range of standards to ensure they are safe to install and use in your home. Depending on the application and size of your rooflight, our products will either use toughened safety glass, which breaks into small pieces in the event of a failure, or laminated glass incorporating a polyvinyl butyl (PVB) interlayer designed to hold the glass together if it breaks.  All models of windows are different, but you will find that they all go through rigorous testing to ensure they comply fully with the Building Regulations.

    Security wise, any of our rooflights marked ‘Secured by Design’ means that they have been attack tested in accordance with the Loss Prevention Certification Board standard LPS2081 Issue 1:2015, allowing them to meet the Building Regulations Approved Document Q: Security in Dwellings. If you want to know about the safety and security credentials of a particular rooflight, simply visit the product page and find the Technical tab. This explains more about the properties of each rooflight.

     

    Is it Safe to Walk on Rooflights?

    It is safe to walk on rooflights that are designed for that purpose. For example, we stock the Flushglaze Fixed Walk On Rooflight, and that is produced to withstand domestic foot traffic. The manufacturers conduct robust safety checks on this product to ensure that it meets this need and so you can walk on it with confidence.

    In general, you should not walk on a rooflight unless you know for certain that it is a walk on rooflight model.

     

    Do I Need Planning Permission for a Rooflight?

    Most rooflight installations fall under your Permitted Development rights, which means you do not need planning permission. As long as it doesn’t stand more than 150 mm above the existing roof plane, that it doesn’t stand out above the roof ridge and isn’t higher than the highest part of the property, you shouldn’t have a problem. You will also need to make sure that any side facing windows use obscure glazing too.

    If you have a listed property or live in a conservation area, you will need to access advice to know for sure whether you can install a rooflight.

     

    Ready to Look for Rooflights?

    If you are ready to look for rooflights for your home, call us on 01379 658 333 to discuss our range and your exact requirements.