The short answer
Sometimes, but it depends on the rooflight. Some roof windows and flat rooflights can take a motor or an electric actuator, and some are built manual and cannot. An existing rooflight that is tired, leaking air or misted is usually better replaced with an electric one than adapted, because the glazing and the frame are likely to be the weak point as well. The first job is to identify what you have.
Three things decide whether it can be converted
A conversion works only when the rooflight was designed to accept an operator. Three things settle it.
- The make and model
- Some manufacturers sell electric operators for particular manual windows, usually within their own range. If the window has a label on the sash with a type and size code, we can check whether an electric version of that model exists and whether a retrofit is offered. If the label is missing or the maker no longer trades, a retrofit is unlikely.
- The opening mechanism
- A top-hung or pivot roof window has a handle and a latch designed for hand operation. A flat rooflight that lifts on a hinge has stays that can be driven by a chain or spindle actuator. A fixed rooflight, by contrast, has no hinge at all, so there is nothing to motorise.
- The condition of the frame and seals
- A motor pushes against the sash every time it closes. If the sash has dropped, the seals are worn or the frame has moved, the motor will push against a sash that does not meet its seals, and the cost of the conversion is spent on a window that still lets air through.
Which types are most likely to work
Flat rooflights and roof lanterns with a hinged vent are the most straightforward. An actuator is bolted to the frame and the vent, wired back to a control point, and the vent opens and closes on the existing hinges. The bigger the vent, the stronger the actuator has to be, and the heavier glass of a double or triple unit needs a rated actuator.
Roof windows are mixed. Some ranges have an electric sibling that is a different window in the same frame size, which means it is effectively a replacement of the sash or the whole unit and not a bolt-on. The motor is built into the frame, and the control unit is sized for it. In that case the practical route is to swap the window for its electric equivalent.
Sun tunnels and fixed glass have no vent to motorise. If you want an opening in that spot, the answer is a replacement with a unit that opens.
When a replacement is the better route
If the rooflight is a manual one with a failing seal, condensation between the panes or a frame that has started to rot, converting it spends money on something you will want to replace soon. A new electric rooflight comes as a tested package, with the motor, the sensors and the glass designed together, and with a warranty on the whole.
Swapping the entire unit, frame and glass together, is building work that has to be notified to Building Control, and the new one must satisfy Part L; we file that notice for you. Fitting only an operator to an existing sash is a different matter and depends on how much of the window is altered, so we confirm it at survey rather than assume.
A replacement also lets you put the opening where it works best. An electric rooflight in a landing or stairwell is often higher than you can reach, which is the strongest reason to want one. If the existing window is in the wrong place, converting it will not fix that.
What else has to be in place
An electric rooflight needs power and a way to be controlled, and neither is a small matter in a finished house. Power comes from a supply near the window, from a low-voltage transformer or, for solar-powered units, from a small panel on the unit with a battery. Our guide to solar-powered rooflights and windows sets out when that avoids cable altogether.
A control, whether a wall switch, a handset or a keypad, needs to be positioned somewhere sensible. It may also need a rain sensor, so the unit closes itself when the weather turns. Getting cable to the window usually means running it through the ceiling void, and in a room that has been decorated that means making good afterwards. This is where the inside finish matters: a neat chase through a lath and plaster ceiling needs to be patched in lime or plaster to match, not filled and forgotten.
The wiring side is its own question, answered in do electric rooflights need an electrician.
What we need to see at a survey
To tell you whether conversion is possible, we want to see the following.
- the label on the sash, or a clear photo of it;
- the handle, latch and hinge side of the window;
- the ceiling around it, and the loft above if there is one;
- where the nearest power supply is, and where you would like the control to go.
Photographs sent with your enquiry save a visit. If a conversion works, we say so, and the quote shows the operator, the control, the cable route and how the ceiling will be made good, all written into the finish schedule. If it does not, we say that too and price the replacement instead.
What conversion does to the ceiling
Even a tidy conversion touches the room. A motor needs a fixing point, a cable needs a route, and a control needs a home on the wall. If the cable has to cross a plastered ceiling, the line it takes is cut and filled. We plan that route first and write it into the quote, so the plaster is made good to match, and the room is left clean and ready to paint.
Choosing between conversion and a new unit
Ask three questions. Is the window sound, with seals, glass and frame in good order? Is the model one that has an official electric option? And is it in the right place for what you want from it? If the answer to all three is yes, converting can make sense. If any answer is no, a new electric unit is usually the cleaner outcome. Our guide to electric or manual opening rooflights helps you weigh the two, and our page on electric opening rooflights covers what is available. When you are ready, ask for a quote and send us a photo of the label.