How Much Does an Electric Rooflight Cost?

An electric rooflight is not one purchase. It is a unit, a motor, a way of controlling it, a supply of power and the labour to join them up. Each part is priced separately on a quote, which is how you can tell where a figure comes from.

Broad UK market guidance usually puts a fitted electric roof window at a clear step above the same window opened by hand. How big that step is depends on the points below, so treat any single national figure with caution. Our costs guide shows how we break prices down across every product.

Wiring is the variable people overlook. If the nearest power point sits a metre from the rooflight, the electrical work is small. If the unit is on the far side of a loft room from the consumer unit, the cable has to be routed, and on a plastered Victorian ceiling that means careful cutting and making good. Our guide to electric rooflight wiring explains the routes.

Other things that add to the bill:

• Large units, which need stronger motors and heavier glass.
• Steep or tall roofs, where scaffold is needed rather than a roof ladder.
• A new opening, which means trimming the rafters properly before anything is fitted.
• Extras such as a rain sensor, a second control point or blinds that run off the same system.

Rain sensors are a good example. They add to the price but close the unit when a shower arrives, which is a real help on a bathroom or landing you cannot watch all day. See the rooflight rain sensor page for how they behave.

Solar-powered opening units skip the cable altogether. A small panel on the unit charges a battery that drives the motor, so nothing is run through the ceiling. On a finished room, that can be the difference between a tidy afternoon and a messy day. The trade-off is covered in electric vs solar rooflight.

Another saving comes from doing the electrical thinking at the right time. If a loft or extension is still being built, a cable laid before the ceiling goes up costs far less than one pulled through afterwards. Mention it early, even if you only might want electric opening later.

If you already own a manual unit in good condition, converting a manual rooflight to electric is sometimes possible, and that can be cheaper than swapping the whole window. It is not possible on every make or age of unit.

Cases show the spread better than a range does. These are sketches, not prices.

A Victorian terrace loft. A single roof window above the stairs, out of reach from the landing. The ceiling is plastered and the nearest socket is two rooms away. A mains motor means chasing a cable down a wall, so the solar version often wins here, and the job stays clean.

A 1930s semi bathroom. A small roof window over the bath, with a ceiling void above that is easy to get into from the loft. Wiring is simple, so a mains motor and a rain sensor are inexpensive additions relative to the whole job.

A flat-roofed kitchen extension. A large flat rooflight, wide and heavy. Here the unit itself is the main cost, and an opening version needs a stronger actuator. Power is easy to bring in during the build, which keeps the electrical line short.

In each, the motor is a modest part of the total, and the rooflight, the access and the cable decide the figure. That is why a survey matters more than any rule of thumb.

After a free survey you get a written quote, itemised, with no obligation. The motor, the controls, the power supply and the fitting each appear as lines of their own, and the opening options are shown for every unit, so you can see what a manual, solar or mains version would change.

That layout lets you compare like with like. If one quote bundles everything into a single figure, ask what the controls and the wiring include. Ask also whether the finishing indoors is counted, because plaster and paint around a lining are easy to leave out.

Whole-unit replacement is notifiable building work. Where the work needs notifying, the Building Control step is ours to file. Whoever quotes you, check the paperwork names the person who files it. Our guarantee covers the workmanship for ten years. The full range we fit sits under Electric and Opening Rooflight Installation.

Running costs and what happens later

An electric motor uses very little current, and it only draws power for the few seconds it takes to move the sash. Running costs are not the concern. The sensible questions are about the years ahead: what happens if the control unit fails, whether the make still sells parts for it, and how the motor can be replaced on the roof.

Ask the maker for guidance on the model you are choosing, and ask us to note on the quote how the motor can be swapped without disturbing the glass. A unit designed so the actuator can be changed on its own saves a great deal if a part wears out.