The answer
Yes, for the mains connection. An electric opening rooflight runs from a power supply, and wiring in a home is electrical work that has to meet the Building Regulations (Part P in England) and the wiring standard, BS 7671. A competent, qualified electrician should make the connection, test it and issue the right certificate. The rooflight itself is installed as roof work. What changes the picture is how much new cable is needed, because a new circuit and a short spur are treated differently.
Two jobs, two skill sets
Fitting an electric opening rooflight splits into two trades. One is roof work: forming the opening, fixing the upstand or frame, flashing it and weathering it. The other is electrical work: bringing a supply to the motor and wiring the controls.
They meet at the motor. The roof team places the actuator and checks the vent runs freely. The electrical side connects it, sets the controls and tests the circuit.
Keeping them separate is not red tape. A watertight roof and a safe circuit need different checks. A rooflight can be perfectly weathered and still have a poorly routed cable, and the reverse is equally possible.
This is why we plan the electrical route at the survey. We note where the motor sits, where a supply could come from, where the switch will go and how the cable could travel. That plan goes to whoever does the electrical work, so they know what is wanted before they arrive.
The earlier choice between motor and handle is covered in the electric versus manual guide. If you have already decided on a motor, the electrical question is the next one.
What the rules say about home wiring
In England, Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in dwellings. In plain terms, it says that electrical installation work in a home has to be designed and installed so that it protects people from fire and shock. The installation standard behind it is BS 7671, the wiring regulations.
Some electrical work in a home has to be notified to Building Control, and some does not. Broadly, new circuits and work in higher-risk locations are notifiable, while smaller work on an existing circuit may not be. A competent person scheme lets a registered electrician certify their own work without a separate notification. The exact line depends on the job, so the electrician should say which applies.
The practical points are these. The person who wires the rooflight should be qualified for domestic work. They should test the circuit after installation. And they should give you a certificate for what they did, which you keep with the house papers.
These are principles, not a substitute for the regulations themselves. Your electrician knows the current version of the rules, and the local authority or a registered building control approver can confirm the position on a specific job.
Where our work needs Building Control notification, we handle it, and the installation follows current Building Regulations. The electrical certificate is the electrician's document.
Mains supply and low-voltage motors
Many electric rooflight motors run on a low voltage, supplied by a transformer or control box that plugs into the mains. People sometimes assume that means no electrician is needed. It does not.
The low-voltage side is gentler. The mains side still feeds the transformer, and that feed is ordinary domestic wiring. It needs a suitable supply, a way to isolate it, correct cable and protection, and proper termination.
Where the low-voltage cable runs matters too. It has to be fixed, protected and kept clear of other services. In a roof void or a ceiling it should not be left loose across insulation or joists.
The data sheet for the unit says what supply it needs and what cable to use. An electrician reads that as part of the job, which is another reason to have one involved before the order is placed. A unit that needs a particular control box in a particular spot is much easier to wire if that spot is agreed in advance.
If you are unsure whether the motor is mains or low voltage, the answer is on the product information and in the quote. It does not change the need for qualified wiring, but it does change what the electrician brings.
Planning the cable route
Most delays on electric rooflight jobs are about cable, not glass. A route that is obvious in an open extension can be awkward in a finished house.
On a new extension, the ceiling is open and the electrician can run a cable to the roof position before plasterboard goes up. That is the simplest case, and the one where a spare conduit for a later upgrade costs almost nothing.
On an existing house, the choices are tighter. The cable may run from a nearby lighting circuit or a spur, through a loft void, down a wall or along a boxed run. Each option has a different amount of making good. A cable down a plastered wall means chasing and redecorating. A route through a void means access, and that depends on the roof build-up.
Where the supply comes from also matters. Taking power from an overloaded or inappropriate circuit is not a good idea, and the electrician will decide what is suitable.
The switch position is a related decision. A wired switch needs a control cable too, so the survey decides whether to use a wall switch, a radio handset or both. The options are laid out in the controls guide.
Tell us if your ceiling is already decorated. It changes what we recommend.
How we handle it with you
At the free survey we look at the roof, the room and the route together. We mark where the motor sits and where the supply and switch could go. The fixed written quote then says what the rooflight work includes and where the electrical work starts.
You can use your own electrician, which many people prefer when they already have one they trust. We give them the information they need: the unit, the supply requirement, the position of the motor and the control layout. If you do not have one, tell us at the survey and we will talk through the options.
Whichever route you take, the sequence matters. The electrical connection is made once the rooflight is fitted and the vent can move freely. The final test checks the full open and close cycle, the controls and any sensors, and the electrician issues the certificate.
A few practical points. Agree who is on site and when, so the electrician is not waiting for the roof to be weathered. Make sure access to the loft or void is clear. And keep the certificate and the unit documents together.
If a power failure worries you, ask about fallbacks now; the power cut answer lists them. The wider range is on the electric opening rooflights page.