The importance of knowing
who you are buying from

With the advent of online technology and social media, it is almost impossible to tell the good, from the bad and the very ugly from one another based on shiny websites and big claims. Afterall, if their website looks good and they use beautiful imagery, how are you supposed to know if they are legitimate or not? 

A prime example of this are claims made regarding U-values and thermal efficiency. Some well-advertised companies make claims of terrific U-value calculations without any substance to back it up. Unfortunately, unless you has thermal imaging in your house, by feel alone, it is very difficult to know the difference. However, it is extremely important that you do. Not only does it have an impact on your pocket through wasted energy, it can impact the entire sign off of a build if the U-value calculation is incorrect or misleading.

When Sunsquare gained it’s Kitemark, it also gained the facility to calculate and publish U-value calculations for any other company’s products. What this reveals is, that in many cases, claims of U-value are substantially different to reality. Indeed, in some cases, U-values were double what was claimed, and in some cases breached building regulations.

So, how do you avoid falling for style over substance? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer for the rooflight industry, but similarly to other aspects of life! 

In other aspects of life, you would look at someone’s qualifications prior to placing the safety and comfort of yourself or your loved ones into the hands of someone else. It would be unusual to send the kids to an unqualified Doctor next time they get the lurgy, so why wouldn’t you take the same stance for the other areas of your life when it comes to renovations and design work? 

The good news is however, that there are qualifications that are relevant to the Rooflight industry, as there are in other industries. 

Firstly, it would be unwise to even consider a company in design and manufacture that was not at least ISO9001 qualified. Over and above that, as we are in an industry that can have an environmental effect, ISO14001 should be as important. 

Finally, the only real certification that can be completely trusted as a mark of quality and safety is the Kitemark for the entire product. Nothing else compares and nothing else guarantees that you get exactly what you pay for.

We are bound to boast that we have all of the above qualifications, but that is because we actually care about designing and installing the very best for our clients and anyone who lives or works under one of our award winning rooflights.

For further information please call our team on 01284 723377.