ᐅ Advantages and Disadvantages of Roof Window Blinds/Shutters?

Hello everyone,
We are currently considering adding roller shutters to our Velux GPU top-hung roof windows. Until recently, I was convinced that the Velux SSL solar-powered roller shutters would be the natural choice. However, our neighbor (who has the same roof windows) made me somewhat uncertain. Our neighbor installed the Heim and Haus solar roller shutters on their roof windows.

He mentioned that the Hamburg roller shutters are mounted directly onto the window, allowing the window to open fully and also tilt. This way, the roller shutter can occasionally be cleaned from the inside. According to Velux support, however, the Hamburg shutters do not allow tilting because the motor would get blocked with the Hamburg model.
With Velux, the roller shutters are mounted on the window, so according to Velux support, the window can only open about 20cm (8 inches) with the roller shutter deployed. However, if the shutter is rolled up, the window can be opened and tilted as usual.
On the internet, I have read in forums that there are also roller shutters available from, for example, Roto.

My question is:
Do you have roof window roller shutters? Did you install them yourselves or have them professionally installed?
Why did you choose that specific type of roller shutter?
If you do not have roof window roller shutters but have dealt with this subject or are knowledgeable, your opinion or experience is also very welcome.

Thank you very much, best regards

We also considered blinds, but in addition to the issues you mentioned with shades of green, there is another dealbreaker for me: “dark or light,” meaning dark with sun protection or light with no sun protection.

We currently have exterior sunshades and interior blinds. Overall, this is more cost-effective and, in my opinion, the better solution.

I installed the solar roller shutters from Velus on Velux windows myself. It went smoothly. We previously had external sun awnings and internal blackout shades, but that’s not comparable to roller shutters. I would do it the same way again.

In our case, these were bedrooms only, so it was fine if the roller shutter occasionally froze shut in winter and stayed closed during the day.

Three years ago, we replaced two Velux wooden windows with Hamburg uPVC windows with roller shutters. Velux windows open with a central pivot hinge, while Hamburg windows open fully. Now it’s possible to stand at the open window. The roller shutters work perfectly and reliably. They provide excellent blackout and are a thermal blessing in summer (our bedroom is under the roof). Much better than an internal blackout blind. When it comes to price, there is a lot of room for negotiation—the Hamburg team has a significant margin.

lastdrop schrieb:
I installed Velus solar roller shutters on Velux windows myself. It was straightforward. Previously, we had external sun awnings and internal blackout blinds. But that’s not comparable to roller shutters. I would definitely do it that way again.

For us, these were purely bedrooms, so it was okay if the shutter sometimes froze shut in winter and stayed closed during the day.

Did you have to climb onto the roof for the installation, or could it be done from the inside?

Went in from the inside. Just make sure you don’t drop the screwdriver...