A skylight that opens itself, with no wiring

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

• You will never actually open it. A large share of venting skylights get opened a handful of times a year. If the honest use case is daylight, a fixed unit is cheaper, has no motor, no battery, no sensor and nothing to fail — three components you are otherwise buying for a feature you will not use.
• The roof plane is heavily shaded. Deep shade from trees or a neighbouring structure means slow charging and more reliance on the battery. In that situation, a manual unit within reach or a hard-wired one is more dependable.
• You need serious ventilation, not a bit of relief. An opening skylight helps a stuffy room and it is not an extractor fan. In a bathroom with a real moisture problem, fix the extraction first — the skylight is a supplement to it, never the solution.
• You want to open it in winter. The best use of a venting skylight is releasing summer heat and clearing humidity in mild weather. In a cold climate the months when you most want moisture out are the months you least want it open.
• The incentive is doing the persuading. Solar-powered skylights are widely marketed against tax credits, and eligibility, amounts and expiry dates change and vary by jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with your own tax adviser and get any claim your installer makes in writing before it changes the decision. Never let a projected credit be the reason.
• You are replacing a working fixed unit purely to add opening. If the existing skylight is sound, the cost is the whole job — unit, flashing, labour — for one added feature. It is a much better decision to make when the unit is due for replacement anyway.

• Is this roof plane shaded, and how will that affect charging?

  The only feasibility question that is specific to this product. You want a straight answer about the trees and the orientation, not a brochure claim.

• Will you demonstrate a full open and close cycle, and wet-test the rain sensor, before you leave?

  Both are components that can arrive faulty, and both are hardest to deal with once the crew has gone and the unit is out of reach.

• What is the battery, how long does it last, and can it be replaced without removing the skylight?

  It is a consumable in a fifteen-plus-year product. Ask now what the replacement looks like, because it will come up long after you have forgotten who fitted it.

• Which control do I get — remote, wall switch, app — and does it work if the internet is down?

  A skylight that depends on a cloud service to close is a design you want to know about before it is in your roof, not after.

• If I am converting a fixed unit, have you measured the existing curb or rough opening?

  Venting units from the same range are not always the same dimensions as the fixed unit. This is what prevents a wrong-size delivery with the roof open.

• Which flashing kit is included, and is it specific to this model and my roof covering?

  The motor is not what leaks. The flashing is, and the kit is model- and covering-specific — it is also normally what the manufacturer ties the warranty to.

• What are the separate warranty terms on the unit, the glass, the motor and the electronics?

  They are almost always different lengths, and the electronics are usually the shortest. Get all four in writing rather than accepting one headline number.

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