What are the pros and cons of roof lanterns?

If you are looking for an excellent alternative to a traditional conservatory or simply to boost the amount of natural light in your house, a roof lantern has become a trendy improvement in the last few years. Stylish and unique, a roof lantern may not be on your radar, but it should be!

Not sure if a roof lantern is the right solution for your home? This article will discuss the positives and negatives of installing a roof lantern. We give you all the information you need, so you can decide if this home upgrade is for you. Read our guide so you can learn to love these types of roof lights. Let’s get started with the basics! 

What is a roof lantern? 

A roof lantern is an architectural structure with glazing properties designed to boost natural light into a room. Roof lanterns have gone through a constant adaptation and improvement over the recent years. The design dates back to the times when they were made with wood-frames. Popularity of these roof lights continues and now you get models made of aluminium and uPVC frames during modern times. 

In today’s world, roof lanterns are an excellent choice for an orangery, a flat roof structure, kitchen or dining room. They are very stable and weatherproof, compared to their predecessors, and they come in a wide variety of configurations. However, the most popular roof lantern style is the elongated pyramid shape, which has a very contemporary aesthetic that makes the roof lantern extremely suitable for most of your home living spaces and rooms.

Now, let’s discuss the pros of installing a roof lantern in your house. 

1. More natural light 

Having more natural light in your home is very good for your health, as research has shown over many years. Atlas flat roof lights, like the ones we install at Leicester Window Supplies, are a fantastic addition to any home, and they can be easily installed in any room, whilst allowing the natural light to flood in. Adding more natural light to an office, dining room or kitchen will make any home feel more luxurious. The more light you have, the better you feel, so go ahead and add a new roof lantern to your home!

The contemporary roof lanterns are designed to look sleek to maximise the outside’s views. Also, the designs are able to blend with traditional properties beautifully. A flat roof lantern has outstanding strength, is long-lasting, and it’s well insulated. The various models available mean you can find one you love. If your home is modern, and you want to add a new element, a roof light is perfect. Traditional homes, extensions or new builds can all benefit from this type of window installation.

2. Improved home aesthetics 

A roof lantern is genuinely an excellent design touch with great aesthetics both inside and outside. It can add a contemporary style to any property as it has an elegant look. Homeowners can have a wide range of colour choices and styles. For example, our colour choices cover white, anthracite grey or black, and their interior cladding can be built from either PVC or Aluminium. Modern roof lanterns add a beautiful line to any ceiling. 

The Atlas flat roof lights are a perfect blend of thermal performance and maximum light to any home extension, and they have a minimal contemporary design that is entirely invisible from the inside of your home. Also, roof lanterns have frameless aesthetics that can create the illusion of looking out to a broad and open sky, connecting you with the world in a brand new way.  

3. Solar heating

The vast expanses of glazing can allow homes to receive solar heating, especially during the winter months and colder climates throughout the year, which makes it a perfect solution for most UK homes. 

This is because small amounts of the sun’s heat can effortlessly enter the rooms, whilst lowering your energy bills. In case you don’t know how to lower your heating bills efficiently, we have a great article on how to make your home more energy efficient that could help you. 

On the other hand, roof lanterns come with several disadvantages as well. 

1. Heat loss in the winter

When it comes to glazed extensions such as conservatories, over the years, they have gained a bad reputation of over-heating a house in the summer, whilst making it too cold during the winter months. However, modern glazing has seen many improvements which started to change this historical belief.

Tip: A U-value commonly measures an item’s ability to retain heat, and the lower this value is, the better the item’s ability to maintain warmth inside. The overall U-value of an Atlas roof lantern can be as low as 0.6 W/m2K. This is three times as thermally efficient as its nearest competition, which can create a wonderful space in your home that can be enjoyed all-year-round, with the perfect temperature during all seasons.

2. More noise

Because roof lanterns have a design which features a lot of glazing, they are more prone and vulnerable to allow the outside noise to be heard from the inside of your home, especially when it rains heavily or during high traffic. 

But with this issue in mind, roof lantern manufacturers have drastically improved the performance of glass roof lanterns. It is the same situation with windows, as a roof lantern’s performance will significantly depend on the quality of glazing installed. 

3. Difficult cleaning 

In most cases, lantern roofs are quite challenging to clean, as they have several places that you can’t reach properly to. However, our Atlas flat rooflight has a self-cleaning glass and a ten-year seal, making it very easy to clean all-year-round. 

The roof lantern’s coating ensures that the rooflight will require minimal maintenance through its lifespan, and it doesn’t compromise on the weather. This is because it is built with a five-degree pitch kerb, allowing water to self-drain off the glazing unit on your existing flat roof. 

And now we know that you may be wondering how much are roof lanterns? A typical roof lantern cost in the UK nowadays can be around £2500. However, the installation process can take up to three days to complete, as it’s a big job that requires a lot of skill. If you want to find out more about how a roof lantern can enhance your property and lifestyle, get in touch with us today, and one of our friendly team members will get back to you as soon as possible with their best advice and support, or simply request a FREE roof lantern quote in the meantime. 

Posted: February 17, 2021