Published: 16th October 2023

Glass rooflights tend to come in a ‘one size fits all’ approach. At Ofset we do not think like this. Getting the specification for your unique flat roof window is critical for a successful long term installation and we offer a wide range of options and upgrades to make sure you are happy with the final product.

The standard features of our Blade frameless flat rooflight product are great. Easy clean glass, argon or krypton gas, thermally broken, 10mm super strong top pane with polished edges, beautiful curved profile, heat soak testing, to name but a few.
We offer two glazing standards. Double-A and Triple-K. Double-A is double glazed, the ‘A’ representing Argon gas and the Triple-K is triple glazed with Krypton gas which is a better insulator than Argon gas as it is heavier.

Clients must consider the the positioning of the flat rooflight installation with regards to the impact of the sun. If the skylight installation gets a lot of sunshine, it is sensible to consider ‘solar control’ glass which will help prevent the building overheating on sunny days. Additionally you can help reduce direct sun glare by specifying tinted glass available in four colours – blue, green, bronze and grey. They make the skylight look awesome too. The option of ‘satin privacy’ can be specified if the rooflight is overlooked and privacy is an issue.

If the positioning of the rooflight is in a dark or shaded area then it may be sensible to specify ‘low iron glass’ glass. Standard glass has a very slightly ‘green’ tint. The more glass you have the ‘greener’ the glass looks. This can therefore be an issue particularly with triple glazing. By specifying ‘low iron’ glass, the greening is eliminated thus allowing more light to enter the room. Very handy if the rooflight does not get a lot of direct sunshine.

Noise inhibition and additional security glass can be specified too with the application of ‘acoustic’ or ‘security’ 12.8mm toughened/laminated glass (8.8mm in Triple-K units). The 12.8mm laminated glass is two sheets of 6mm toughened glass with a 0.8mm PVB interlayer as opposed to two sheets of 3mm or 4mm ‘annealed’ glass. It’s the best in the business. The toughened/laminated glass is stronger and less prone to failure if attacked. Additionally the long term reliability is far superior with ‘spontaneous breakage’ or ‘heat stress fractures’ almost impossible, thus the Ofset Blade lifetime guarantee. ‘Spontaneous breakage’ can occur when there is a huge variance in temperatures the flat roof window is subject to, particularly in spring and autumn when you can quickly go from frosty nights to warm days, but our toughened laminated glass and standard heat soak testing avoids this issue.

Ofset offer clients a choice of six popular frame colours, all hand painted to 80 microns paint thickness which is a coastal paint thickness and will stay colour fast for many decades. If you are not happy with the frame colour selection then simply let us know and we will quote you for your preferred frame colour from a standard RAL colour chart.

As standard, the Ofset Blade contemporary frameless rooflight is specified with a black border which we feel is very attractive and leaves a contemporary visible ‘floating glass’ edge. Or you can select a painted 190mm ‘painted ceramic fritt’ border applied in a choice of RAL colours, perhaps to match windows and doors or just because you like the look.

Finally you can specify a super insulated pre-fabricated kerb. Building regulations now require the insulated upstand to be incorporated into the final heat loss calculations. The kerb becomes part of the ‘developed area’ as it is deemed part of the product if supplied by the rooflight supplier. This helps give a better heat insulation level (Ud level) which complies with and exceeds Building Regulations minimum heat loss requirements of 1.6 w/m2k. Using a Ofset supplied kerb will make the installation far easier and quicker whilst improving insulation levels for the whole Ofset system. Ofset are currently offering a FREE kerb/upstand with all Blade purchases.

Go to our ‘Bladebuilder’ to start specifying your bespoke Blade frameless flat rooflight. Or don’t hesitate to call or email us for more help and information.