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Skylight vs. Roof Window vs. Sun Tunnel: What’s Best for Your Home?

Natural daylight can transform a home, but choosing the right solution matters to ensure the correct daylight distribution depending on your needs. Understanding the differences between the varying options on the market can help you make an informed decision that improves comfort, energy efficiency, and overall home resale value.

02.02.2026

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Bright, modern dining room featuring a large wooden table with eight chairs, soft lighting from two unique pendant fixtures, and a central artwork above a fireplace. Large glass windows offer views of the garden. A skylight brings in natural light, enhancing the open and airy atmosphere.
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When homeowners set about bringing more natural light into their homes, three options usually present themselves; skylights, roof windows, and sun tunnels. While they may seem similar at first, each one serves a different purpose, and choosing the correct option depends on your requirements, roof structure, budget, and more.

What is a skylight?

A skylight is the most common and versatile daylighting option used in American homes due to their ability to allow daylight to enter rooms below. Skylights can be either fixed or opening, suited to your needs.

Fixed skylights are designed to maximize natural daylight, while opening skylights can be operated (manually or electronically) to increase ventilation or allow access to a rooftop space. Skylights can commonly be installed on both flat and sloped roofs, meaning they are a great solution for a vast number of projects.

Providing abundant natural light, skylights can reduce the need for artificial lighting, increasing your energy efficiency and lowering your bills. While skylights typically cost more than sun tunnels, they offer the greatest visual impact and flexibility.

What is a roof window?

Roof windows, similarly to skylights, are designed to maximize natural daylight and in some cases, ventilation. The main difference between skylights and roof windows is that roof windows are designed for steeper pitched roofs. They are most commonly installed in loft conversions, attics or upper floors with sloped ceilings.

Because of their design, roof windows are not suitable for homes with flat ceilings. skylights are the ideal solution for flat roofs. However, roof windows are an appealing option for homeowners converting unused attic space into habitable rooms.

What is a sun tunnel?

Sun tunnels, sometimes called tubular skylights, are designed to bring natural light into small or hard-to-reach areas, using a reflective tube that channels sunlight from the roof down into the room below.

Sun tunnels are typically the most affordable daylighting option, however this is because they do not provide ventilation or a view of the sky.

Choosing the right option depends largely on how you plan to use the space. Skylights and roof windows (Depending on the pitch of the roof) are the best choice for homeowners who want dramatic natural light with the option for natural ventilation, too. Sun tunnels are best suited for smaller spaces where traditional skylights won’t fit or aren’t necessary.

If you are considering adding a skylight, roof window, or sun tunnel to your home, working with an experienced skylight company can help you make the right choice with confidence.

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Reach out to our experienced team today to start your skylight specification journey and learn about key considerations.

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Privacy Policy

GLAZING VISION LIMITED (“We” or “Us”) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This privacy policy will tell you:

  • What personal data of yours is collected;

  • With whom such data may be shared;

  • Our security procedures to protect against loss, misuse, or alteration of personal data under our control;

  • Your rights regarding your personal data;

  • How you can correct any errors in the personal data we hold on you.

This policy (together with our terms of use and any other documents referred to on it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By visiting www.rooflights.com OR www.glazingvision.com you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy.

For the purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation, the data controller is Glazing Vision Ltd of Sawmills Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4RG.

​INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT FROM YOU​

The personal data we collect about you may include the following:

  • Information that you provide by filling in forms on our site, www.rooflights.com OR www.glazingvision.com and/or our mobile applications (any of these and/or all will be referred to throughout this document as “our site”) or by corresponding with us by phone, e-mail or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you register to use our site, subscribe to our service, search for a product, make an enquiry on our site, provide us with specification requirements, place an order on our site, enter a competition, promotion or survey, and when you report a problem with our site. The information you give us may include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number, financial and credit card information, personal description and photograph.

  • Information we collect about you. For each of your visits to our site we may automatically collect the following information:

  • technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform;

  • information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL) clickstream to, through and from our site (including date and time); products you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page and any phone number used to call our customer service number.

  • Information we receive from other sources. We may receive information about you if you use any of the other websites we operate or the other services we provide. In this case we will have informed you when we collected that data that it may be shared internally and combined with data collected on this site. We are also working closely with third parties (including, for example, business partners, sub-contractors in technical, payment and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics providers, search information providers, credit reference agencies) and may receive information about you from them.

​HOW WE USE THIS INFORMATION​

We may use information held about you in the following ways:

  • to carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us and to provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us;

  • to provide you with information about other goods and services we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or inquired about;

  • to provide you, or permit selected third parties to provide you, with information about goods or services we feel may interest you. If you are an existing customer, we will only contact you by electronic means (e-mail or SMS) with information about goods and services similar to those which were the subject of a previous sale or negotiations of a sale to you. If you are a new customer, and where we permit selected third parties to use your data, we (or they) will contact you by electronic means only if you have consented to this. If you do not want us to use your data in this way, or to pass your details on to third parties for marketing purposes, please tick the relevant box situated on the form on which we collect your data (the [order form OR registration form]);

  • to notify you about changes to our service;

  • to ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer.

  • Information we collect about you. We will use this information:

  • to administer our site and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes;

  • to improve our site to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer;

  • to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so;

  • as part of our efforts to keep our site safe and secure;

  • to measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you;

  • to make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our site about goods or services that may interest you or them.

  • Information we receive from other sources. We may combine this information with information you give to us and information we collect about you. We may use this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above (depending on the types of information we receive).

​DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION​

We may share your personal information with any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006.

We may share your information with selected third parties including:

  • Business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors for the performance of any contract we enter with them or you.

  • Advertisers and advertising networks that require the data to select and serve relevant adverts to you and others.

  • Analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimization of our site.

  • Credit reference agencies for assessing your credit score where this is a condition of us entering into a contract with you.

  • Aggregate statistics about our customers, sales, browser type, operating system, Internet, domain, demographic and profile data, traffic patterns and related site information to reputable third parties, these statistics will not include personally identifying information.

  • If you would rather we did not share your personal data, please tell us by contacting gvukcomms@glazingvision.com. If you use more than one email address to visit us, send this message from each email account you use.

We may disclose your personal information to third parties:

  • If we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets.

  • If Glazing Vision Limited or substantially all its assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its customers will be one of the transferred assets.

  • If we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our terms of use or terms and conditions of supply and other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of GLAZING VISION LIMITED, our customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

​WHERE WE STORE YOUR PERSONAL DATA​

The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff maybe engaged in, among other things, the fulfillment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorized access.

​COOKIES​

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with the best possible experience when you browse our website and allows us to improve our site. For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them see our Cookie policy.

​WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION​

We are committed to the security of our customers information and personal data and we take precautions to ensure that the personal data we collect is secure.

However, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any such transmission is at your own risk.

Where we have provided (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We recommend that passwords cannot be easily identified and that they are not written down or shared with anyone.

Except in the case of fraud, death or personal injury resulting from our negligence, we do not, to the extent permitted at law, accept responsibility for any liability resulting from any security breaches which may occur.

​CHILDREN​

We are committed to protecting the safety and privacy of young people using our services. We do not intend to collect information about children and recommend that those under the age of 18 seek their parents or guardians consent before providing personal data or using our services. Orders should not be placed through our site unless the person placing the order is over the age of 18.

We recommend that parents or guardians participate on their child’s behalf in online browsing and purchasing experiences and supervise exploration of the Internet. Parents or guardians should be aware that our site may contain information or promote products which are not suitable for children under the age of 18.

​YOUR RIGHTS​

You may request copies of the personal data we hold about you. Any access request may be subject to a fee of £10 to meet our costs in responding to the request. Please send such requests to Glazing Vision Ltd, Sawmills Road, Diss, IP22 4RG OR gvukcomms@glazingvision.com

If you believe that any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate, contact us at Glazing Vision Ltd, Sawmills Road, Diss, IP22 4RG OR gvukcomms@glazingvision.co.uk, telling us what you believe is wrong with your information and what you believe should be done to correct it.

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at Glazing Vision Ltd, Sawmills Road, Diss, IP22 4RG OR gvukcomms@glazingvision.com

Our site may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.

​YOUR OBLIGATIONS​

You shall comply with the Act (including any subordinate legislation made under it and guidance issued by the Information Commissioner) and any related legislation in relation to any personal data provided to us or held by or on behalf of you as a result of or in connection with or necessary for the use of our site.

​CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY​

Any changes we may make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.

​CONTACT​

Questions, comments and requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to Glazing Vision Ltd, Sawmills Road, Diss, IP22 4RG OR gvukcomms@glazingvision.com

​General Data Protection Regulation​

The General Data Protection Regulation provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handles properly.

As a company, Glazing Vision Limited must ensure that this information is:

  • Fairly and lawfully processed

  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive

  • Accurate and up to date

  • Not kept for longer than is necessary

  • Processed in line with your rights

  • For full details, visit the Information Commissioners Office website ico.org.uk