How Long Does an Electric Rooflight Take to Install?
Most electric rooflights take two to three days on site for the roofing work, plus two visits from the electrician, first fix and second fix. A like-for-like replacement into an existing opening is a single day for us. A new opening in a flat roof is two to three days. An AOV over a stairwell is three to four days with the alarm contractor’s testing on top. The reason it is a two-visit electrical job is that the wiring has to be interleaved with the roofing in the right order.
The timings, by job
| Job | Roofing days | Electrician’s visits |
|---|---|---|
| Like-for-like replacement, existing opening | 1 | 1 to 2 |
| New opening, flat roof, up to 1000 x 1000mm | 2 | 2 |
| New opening, flat roof, 1500 x 1000mm and up | 2 to 3 | 2 |
| AOV over a stairwell | 3 to 4 | 2 plus alarm contractor testing |
| Solar unit, any of the above | As above | None |
Why it is a two-visit job
The electrical work happens in two stages, and they sit either side of our roofing work.
First fix is running the cable and terminating a fused connection unit near the opening. On a new extension with the ceiling still open, this happens before the plasterboard, while the joists are accessible. On a finished room, first fix happens after the rooflight is in and watertight, so the room is never left open to weather waiting on a cable.
Second fix is connecting and testing the supply once the unit is set. The electrician energises the fused spur, we terminate the control gear into it, pair the handset and any wall switch, set the rain sensor and run the unit through its full travel. On an AOV, the fire alarm interface is tested with the alarm contractor present.
The order protects your room. On a retrofit we get the roof watertight first, then wire, so you are never staring at an open roof while an electrician chases a cable route. The roof is weathertight at the end of day one on every job, with or without the rooflight in it. That is the point we work to.
What can add time
- The cable route. On a finished room, a run that means lifting a floor above or chasing a wall adds to the electrician’s time. We survey the route before anything is ordered so it is planned, not discovered.
- Structural work. A new opening needing trimmers or a ring beam to an engineer’s detail adds a day or more, quoted separately once that design exists.
- Access. Scaffold on a two-storey or restricted site goes up the working day before, which is scheduling rather than site time but affects the start.
- AOV commissioning. Proving the vent opens on a smoke detection signal needs the alarm contractor on site, which is a booked slot on top of the fit.
Lead time before anyone arrives
Site time is not the whole story. Standard electric units run three to five weeks from order, and AOV units with a control panel and fire alarm interface run longer, typically five to eight weeks. Nothing starts on site until the unit is physically here, so the room is never opened up waiting on a delivery. The full sequence, stage by stage, is on the electric skylight installation page.
A solar unit removes the electrician’s visits entirely, because it carries its own panel and battery, which shortens the job on a finished room. That is covered on the why solar suits retrofit answer. For what the electrical side actually involves, see the electrical installation page, and for the fail-safe behaviour once it is in, the power cut answer.
Common questions
Can an electric rooflight be fitted in a day?
A like-for-like replacement into an existing opening can be, for the roofing side, though the electrician’s second fix may be a separate visit. A new opening in a flat roof is two to three days plus the electrician’s two visits. A solar unit in an existing opening is the quickest, because there is no electrician involved at all. We confirm the exact timing at survey once we have seen the roof and the cable route.
Will my roof be left open overnight?
No. We get the roof watertight at the end of day one on every job, with or without the rooflight in it. On a retrofit we weather the opening in before the electrical first fix, so the room is never open to the sky waiting on a cable. If the job runs more than a day, it is closed and watertight each evening.
How long from order to installation?
Standard electric units run three to five weeks from order, and AOV units with a control panel run longer, typically five to eight weeks. Nothing starts on site until the unit has arrived, so your room is never opened up waiting on a delivery. The roofing work itself is then one to four days depending on the job, plus the electrician’s two visits.
Get a fixed price and a firm timeline
Tell us the room, the roof type and whether it is a replacement or a new opening. We survey it, confirm the lead time and the days on site, and give you one written price covering the unit, the controls and the electrical connection, fixed after survey with a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Request a fixed quote for electric rooflight installation across Ipswich, Suffolk and north Essex.
Thinking about this job? We survey across Ipswich, Suffolk and north Essex and give you a fixed price before any work starts, with a 10-year workmanship guarantee.