Are Electric and Solar Velux Windows Worth It?

Roof windows lie flat in the pitch, so the handle is often at the top of the frame and the glass tilts away from you. In a loft bedroom with a low eaves wall you can reach it from the bed. In a stairwell, over a landing or above a freestanding bath, you may need a pole or a stool every time you want air.

Who gets the most from a motor?

Anyone with a window they cannot comfortably reach. That includes older people, people with bad shoulders and anyone with a roof window over a double-height space. Motorised opening also helps in a kitchen or bathroom, where steam builds up and you would rather open the window from the doorway.

The plain truth is that a motor does not make the window better at keeping weather out. It only changes who has to stretch. If you can reach the handle without effort, a manual window opens and closes as well as an electric one, and has fewer parts to wear. We look at where each window falls in the room during the survey and tell you which ones are worth motorising, and which are not.

An electric roof window runs from the mains. That means a cable from the window down through the rafters to a switch, a transformer or a wall control, and the wiring is an electrician's job. In a finished room, that cable has to be chased into the plasterboard or hidden behind a new lining. When the window is going into a loft conversion that is still open to the rafters, running the cable costs very little extra effort. When the ceiling is already boarded, it can mean opening up finished decoration.

How does a solar window work without a cable?

A solar model carries a small solar cell on the outside of the frame. The cell charges a battery that powers the motor, so no mains cable runs to it. That suits a retrofit, where you want a motor but not a patched ceiling. The catch is that the cell sits outside, exposed to the weather, and the window relies on daylight reaching it. A north-facing slope in a shaded lane gets less light than a south-facing one, so ask how the model behaves in poor light before you order.

A rain sensor is a small detector fitted to the window frame. When rain lands on it, the window closes itself. Not every electric model includes one, so check the specification of the one you are quoted for.

Is a rain sensor worth having?

It helps if you like a window cracked open while you are out, or if the window sits in a room you do not visit every day, like a spare bedroom or a utility room. A shower of rain at two in the afternoon will not soak the carpet. Think of it as a safety net for forgetfulness rather than a feature to build the decision around.

Bear in mind what the sensor cannot do. It cannot close a window if the battery is flat or the power is off. It cannot cure a leak at the flashing, the metalwork that closes the gap between frame and covering. If a roof window already drips in heavy weather, the window or its flashing needs looking at first. Our answer on flashing kits for roof windows explains what the kit does at the edges.

Cost guides give a standard mid-range Velux as about £1,100 for the UK, with a straightforward swap around £100 less (MyJobQuote, Sep 2026). That is an ordinary manual window. A motor, a remote, a rain sensor and any wiring add to it, so the survey is what settles the total.

What pushes the cost up or down?

Mains or solar comes first, since mains needs an electrician and a cable run. How the room is finished comes next, because a boarded ceiling makes the cable harder to route. Then there is the size of the window and the roof covering around it. Access matters too: a high slope may need a scaffold tower, and scaffold on a public pavement brings a licence into play.

If you are weighing motorised against manual for several windows, say so at the start. After the survey you get pictures of your own slope and one written price covering each option. For the wider picture on window types, see types of roof windows, or return to roof windows and skylights.