Sometimes, but the honest route is usually a swap rather than a bolt-on. Whether a motor can be added to your window depends on its make, its age and whether the maker still supplies a compatible operator. Where it cannot, we replace the window with an electric one of the same size, in the same opening, so the rafters and the roof covering around it stay where they are.
What "converting" a roof window can mean
People who search for a way to convert a roof window to electric usually picture a small motor clipped onto the frame. Some ranges were built with that in mind: the sash carries a fixing point, the frame has room for a chain or arm actuator, and the maker sells a retrofit kit. Others were not. Their opening is a pivot or a top-hung hinge worked by a handle or a pole, and there is nowhere for a motor to push against.
So an electric skylight conversion tends to take one of three shapes. The first is a retrofit operator on a window designed to accept one. The second is a new sash on the old frame, where the frame is sound and the maker offers an electric sash in that size. The third is a full replacement of the window, frame and all, with an electric model. We tell you at survey which of the three your roof window allows, and we do not push you toward the dearest one.
How we check your window at survey
We start with the label. Most roof windows carry a sticker on the sash edge or the frame that gives the maker, the size code and the year. With that we can ask the manufacturer what is still made. A window whose parts are no longer supplied cannot be made electric by adding to it, however sound the glass looks.
Then we look at the frame itself. Rot in the timber, a stained lining or a flashing that has lifted all tell us the window is near the end of what it can carry, and a motor on a tired frame only puts a second wearing part on a first. We also look at the room: how high the window sits, whether a bed or worktop sits under it, and where a cable could reach the ceiling without opening up more than it needs to.
Retrofit, new sash or new window
| Route | What changes | What stays |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofit operator | A motor and control unit are added | Frame, glass and flashing |
| New electric sash | The opening sash and its motor | The frame and flashing |
| New electric window | Frame, sash, motor and flashing kit | The roof structure and covering |
The middle route sounds neat, but it only works where the frame is in good order and the sash is still listed. The last route takes longer on the roof, but it resets every wearing part at once, including the flashing, which is where leaks tend to begin on an older window.
The cable and who connects it
An electric window needs power at the head of the frame, or a solar panel and battery in its place. Wiring from the supply to the window is electrical work in a home, and the connection should be made by a qualified electrician. We mark where the cable needs to arrive and what the motor requires, and the electrician question is answered in full on its own page. If a mains run to that slope is awkward, a solar model avoids it, and electric or solar rooflights explains how to choose.
What you get at the end
Swapping a roof window counts as controlled work, which means Building Control must be told unless a competent person scheme member does it. We send that notice to the council or to a private registered building control approver, and what reaches you at the end is the paperwork recording the job. Approved Document L also asks a replacement roof window to reach 1.4 W/m²K, or Band B on the Window Energy Rating scale. Many older manual windows fall well short of that, which is a fair reason to replace instead of adding a motor.
Rain sensors, blinds and controls
An electric operator is only half of the convenience. A rain sensor closes the window when drops land on it, and a wall switch or handset opens it from the room. Blinds can be motorised to match. Which of these a given window accepts depends on its range, so we confirm the list at survey and set it out in the quote. The workings of each part are on our page for rooflight motors, rain sensors and controls.
It also helps to know what the motor does when the power fails. Methods for closing the window by hand vary between makes, so read what happens in a power cut before you choose.
The life plan for a motorised window
An electric window has one more part that wears than a manual one: the actuator. Every quote we write names it, says how it is replaced and whether that needs the roof disturbed. On a window built so the motor is reached from inside, it can be changed without touching the flashing. The 10-year guarantee we give on workmanship is tied here to the motor connection and the flashing around it, and we look at the motor and its seals at year 5 rather than waiting for it to stop.
Permission and approvals
Swapping like for like in the same opening rarely changes the outside of the house, but it is still worth checking if you are in a conservation area, in a listed building, or in the Peak District National Park, where planning questions go to the Park Authority. Enlarging the opening is different: trimming rafters is structural work and needs approval. Where each rule applies is laid out in the planning and Building Regulations guide.
Our installs run from Sheffield out to 30 road miles in every direction. To find out what your window allows, send us its label and a photo of the room through WhatsApp, or call, and we will book the free survey that ends in a fixed written quote.